A Red Stained Remnant II
by Kerrigor2
Summary: Five years have passed since Team RWBY's last run in with Myrka Vald, and threat he poses has been all but forgotten. Little do they know, threats are growing on all sides. Mysteries come to light and threaten to tear down the very world the girls call home.
1. Five Years Later

**A/N: It's been brought to my attention that a few, very vocal, individuals have problems with major characters dying in stories. So, I figured I'll add this here for any new readers. A Red Stained Remnant had threats and danger, but A Red Stained Remnant II holds no punches and follows through on those threats. MAIN CHARACTERS ARE GOING TO DIE IN THIS. If you would rather avoid reading that, then take the ending of A Red Stained Remnant as the end of the story. Things wrapped up well enough to be getting by. If, however, you would risk the potential heartbreak for the reward of another story, then read on, dear reader, read on...**

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Ruby closed her eyes. She could feel Weiss' fingers caressing her face, gliding down her nose, and tracing her lips before slipping away. Ruby took a shuddering breath at the sensation. Weiss traced a finger down her cheek, brushing her ear. Ruby's heart thudded, beating against her ribs. An anxious fire kindled in her chest. She wasn't nervous, but eager. She could smell Weiss, she was that close. Ruby remembered the feeling of Weiss' lips on hers on the day they'd first confessed their love for each other.

It was intoxicating, the sensation of _Weiss. _Her presence, her smell, her taste. Everything about Weiss set Ruby's nerves aflame; the slightest touch set her skin aflame. She heard a giggle. Weiss' voice. The feeling in her chest—the burning; the anxiety; the hopeless, unstoppable, insatiable love—swelled. Ruby took a gasping breath and opened her mouth to speak: to tell Weiss how much she loved her.

Another finger touched her lips and Ruby shivered again. Her whole body cried out for Weiss. People called it desire; this was a _need._ Ruby needed Weiss more than she'd ever needed anything else. Ruby had thought from a young age that her dream in life was to be a Huntress, to help people. Now she knew… she'd give it up in a heartbeat if Weiss had asked her to—though she knew that Weiss would never ask.

A finger slid down Ruby's neck, pausing at the small hollow at the base of her neck. She arched her head back, revelling in Weiss' intimate caresses. Her skin was on fire. Heat was rushing through her.

Ruby reached out. She whispered Weiss' name as she reached for Weiss' cheek. Her lips softened as she reached out for a kiss. Anticipation threatened to overwhelm her. The memory of their last kiss was enough to set her imagination wild.

Her hands grabbed nothing but air.

Ruby smiled. Weiss' always loved playing games. Ruby would never have guessed how much of a tease she would be; she's always seemed so direct, so serious. She reached out again.

Nothing.

Ruby grasped with both hands and opened her eyes—

Her hands closed around nothing. The rain poured down on her. The spell was broken. Ruby remembered.

Weiss was gone.

And it was her fault.

Her hands fell to her sides as the realization crushed her. Her face was turned upwards, letting the rain wash over her. _Raindrops. Not Weiss. Just the rain._ Tears welled up and overflowed in a heartbeat, mixing with the rain that ran down her face.

She let out a shuddering cry and looked down at her feet, covering her mouth with a hand. It did nothing to stop the tears, or the sobs that followed. Her shoulders shook as she sucked in ragged breaths in between gasping, tear-filled cries. Water ran into her mouth, and she tasted salt.

A gust of wind blew past and Ruby's knees almost gave out. She stayed upright through sheer force of will, fighting back against the wave of grief that threatened to crush. Rain ran down the back of her neck, making her shiver again.

Ruby stiffened her spine. She didn't wipe away the tears that had already been shed, but she fought back more. Something tugged at her neck. She raised a hand to her collar and pulled at the thin, silver chain. It jumped free with a light tug and bounced into the air.

Ruby caught it at eye level. She lowered her hand and opened it. In her palm lay a small, silver snowflake. The symbol of the Schnee family. Weiss' symbol. And Ruby's only memento of her.

The grief hit her even stronger at the sight of pendant. She closed her hand, squeezing. The points of the snowflake jabbed into her hand, but she ignored it. The pain helped hold back more tears. Pain was all she had now.

She tucked the pendant into her shirt and sucked in a deep breath. She closed her eyes and held the breath until her head began to spin, then held it a little longer. Her lungs cried out for air and, once they screamed for it, Ruby gasped and breathed in.

The grief lingered. The pain didn't fade. But that was nothing new. Ruby had grown used to that over the last year. Heartache and sorrow had been her constant companions, and she'd learnt to cope.

Barely.

Ruby opened her eyes just as a gust of wind blew at her. It whipped her jacket out behind her and blew a splash of rain into her face. She winced as the water flew into her eyes and reached up to raise her hood.

Once again, her hands grasped at nothing. _That's right. That's gone too. _Remembering Weiss had dragged Ruby back to her past, in more ways than one. She'd gotten rid of her hood a few months after her graduation from Beacon—soon after losing Weiss. Now she wore a long, dark red trench coat—so dark it was almost black. The hem of the coat whipped against her ankles in the wind. Another gust blew the coat back, revealing the inner lining to be a bright red—sewn from the remains of her beloved cape.

_Time to grow up_, she had decided. Enough with the childish cape and hood. The coat served as a reminder of her past; it was a part of her life that she'd outgrown, not forgotten.

Once the wind died down, Ruby's eyes focussed on the view before her. Vale stretched out for miles, a vast, sprawling metropolis. The lights of the city shone up from in between the buildings below her. Ruby looked down from her rooftop. The street below her was utterly devoid of life, not even a stray animal was in sight.

A bell tolled in the city, a long, deep hum that echoed off the buildings. Each chime hit Ruby multiple times as the sound bounced off the buildings around her.

Twelve tolls of the bell.

Midnight.

Ruby sucked in another ragged breath.

Midnight… The beginning of a new day.

Weiss' birthday.

Ruby stood on the edge of the rooftop, gazing down at Vale, as a tear spilled over and ran down her right cheek. The sound of the bell died away slowly, and Ruby wiped away the solitary tear. She could feel the cool metal of the pendant touching her chest—just another cold reminder.

She grabbed the pendant and held it up. _I should just throw it away_, she thought. _She's never coming back. I should get rid of it! _She glared at the snowflake, squeezing it once again. All it did was cause her pain. What was the _point_ in keeping it?

She tucked the pendant back into her shirt, clutching it tightly to her chest. No, that was one thing she could never do. Not in a million years.

Ruby took another deep breath and looked out over Vale. Other than the storm, the night was peaceful. All of Vale, at peace, safe, sheltered. She couldn't help but feel bitter. She had once had safety, peace, love. Now here she was, standing on a rooftop in the middle of a storm, trying to remember what she'd lost over a year ago. But, try as she might, she couldn't stop. She couldn't get over Weiss. She didn't think she ever would.

_It was all my fault, _she thought. _How am I supposed to just get over that?_

A police siren pierced the night, cutting through Ruby's thoughts. She reacted on instinct, spinning to the right—where the sound had come from. She dashed to the edge of the roof and looked down. The siren was getting closer, and the flashing lights were visible on the walls of buildings a block away.

Ruby reached to her belt and pulled out Crescent Rose, unfolding the vicious scythe in a flash and resting it on her shoulder. The police car appeared, hurtling around a corner onto the street below. It didn't appear to be chasing anything, but Ruby stayed where she was and watched, just in case.

The car came to a stop directly below Ruby and the policemen got out of the car. They pulled out guns and looked around frantically. Ruby was about to jump down and ask what they were looking for, but they hurriedly jumped back in the car and sped off, tires spinning on the wet road.

As Ruby watched them drive way, she couldn't help but feel confused. What were they doing? The car turned the first corner it came to, heading back the way it came. Who, or what, were they looking for?

Ruby sheathed Crescent Rose and started to turn away when a flash of movement caught her eye. She whipped back around and narrowed her eyes against the rain. Sure enough, there was another movement across the road. There was someone peeking out of an alley across the road from her. The combination of heavy rain and distance made it almost impossible for Ruby to make out any details, but she _thought_ it was a man. It would certainly be a worryingly sized woman if the figure was female—not even Pyrrha was that tall.

The figure edged out of the alley and, once it looked around for more police, ran across the road, toward Ruby.

She smiled. _Big mistake._

The figure—definitely a man, Ruby could see that now that he was closer—turned in the direction that the police had gone and began running up the street. Ruby ran alongside him, albeit five floors above. She reached the edge of the roof and looked down. The man paused to look down the alley that would lead him directly under her, but continued running down the street.

Ruby clicked her tongue in frustration. She drew Crescent Rose in a flurry and, with no hesitation, threw herself off the roof. The man below ran, oblivious to her rapid descent. Ruby aimed her descent towards a streetlight a few metres down the street. She swung Crescent Rose as she approached and hooked the scythe on the horizontal bar of the light. The world blurred as she spun in a tight circle.

She flicked her scythe off the light and kicked herself forward, towards where the man was now running. In mid-air she realised she was off target. The man was running parallel to her flight, but he was at least two metres to her right.

_Damn. _There was no way for her to both reach him _and_ avoid notice. She had to pick one.

Crescent Rose roared. Ruby was pushed towards the man and was now falling directly towards him. He glanced over his shoulder at the noise, stumbling slightly. She was close enough now to see his eyes widen at the sight of her rocketing towards him. He tried to quicken his pace but by then it was too late. Ruby slammed into his back feet-first and he went sprawling on his stomach.

Ruby kicked off him and back-flipped, landing on her feet five metres from where he landed, with Crescent Rose at the ready. The man, showing a surprising level of agility for someone his size, pushed off the ground with his hands, spun through the air and landed facing Ruby.

He was definitely tall. Taller than Pyrrha, without a doubt. Probably taller than Jaune as well, though he didn't look much older than Ruby—five years at most. His hair was long, hanging to his shoulders, and was a deep crimson. His eyes were a bright, vibrant blue.

And, for some reason, despite the cold, he wasn't wearing a shirt. He wore a pair of long pants and a pair of leather boots, but his upper body was completely exposed. Ruby had held Sun as her standard of 'men with abs', but this guy put Sun to shame. His entire upper body was rippling with muscles and covered with scattered scars. His arms were as thick as small tree trunks, his shoulders hulked intimidatingly and his chest and stomach looked like it had been carved from marble.

Ruby wasn't sure if she should be impressed or terrified.

She noticed a thin leather strap wrapping around his chest, but couldn't see what it was connected to. She didn't have to wait long to find out. The man had apparently realized that he couldn't evade Ruby the way he had the police and was getting ready to fight. He dipped a shoulder and swung a large, black shield off his back and onto his arm. He grinned at Ruby. It wasn't a normal smile. It was… bloodthirsty.

Ruby straightened, resting Crescent Rose on the ground. The man's head cocked to the side in interest at the sight of it. Ruby took a breath before speaking.

"Who are you?" she called out.

The man just smiled, saying nothing.

Ruby aimed Crescent Rose at him and chambered another round. "Who are you!?" she shouted. "Why were the police chasing you?"

The man eyed the scythe for a few seconds, still saying nothing. Ruby opened her mouth to speak again, but he cut her off.

"What's your name?" His voice was rough, gravelly—like he'd spent many years spending a lot of time shouting. It fit with his physique. He had the body of a hardened warrior, the scars to prove it, and the kind of voice you'd imagine an angry soldier to have.

Ruby pointedly ignored the question. "Why are the police chasing you? Who are you?"

The man smiled but, again, didn't answer. Ruby was beginning to get angry, and a little worried. The man was standing in front of a Huntress, and didn't even blink; he _grinned_ while ignoring her questions.

Ruby swung Crescent Rose behind her and got ready to attack. "I'll give you one last chance. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Ruby saw the man's teeth as he grinned. She counted to five as she waited for him to answer. He said nothing. _Alright. I gave you enough chances._

Ruby fired Crescent Rose behind her and rocketed towards the man. His grin seemed to grow wider as she swung her scythe towards him. He stepped forward at the last second and smashed his shield into Crescent Rose.

Ruby's arms screamed in pain at the impact. He was stronger than he looked. _And that's saying something. _She tightened her grip despite the pain and used the shield as a fulcrum to swing herself over his head.

A hand reached towards her, grasping for her leg. She fired again—the bullet ricocheted off his shield and into the night—and spun away, chambering a third round.

Her boots slipped on the wet road and she skidded a few metres before stopping, though she retained her footing. The man frowned for moment before breaking into another grin.

Ruby dashed towards him, blurring into a flurry of rose petals. She caught a glimpse of his surprised face before Crescent Rose crashed into his shield and sent him flying into the wall behind him.

The wall buckled slightly as he hit it; the bricks cracked and caved inwards a few inches. The man pushed himself off the wall with a laugh. Ruby raised an eyebrow. He actually sounded genuinely amused. _Who is this guy?_

The man shook his head with another laugh. "Well this is a nice surprise for my first night. No one told me Vale would be so hospitable. But maybe we can make this a bit more fun."

The bottom three quarters of the shield folded up and formed a long pole with a black leather grip at the bottom, while a blade jutted out of either side of the section that remained. In the blink of an eye, the man's shield had turned into a double-bladed battle axe. A small lever jutted out and over the grip, like a knuckle guard.

The man shot Ruby another grin and pointed the axe at her. He squeezed the lever and a burst of fire shot out from the end of the axe. Ruby swung Crescent Rose as she jumped away. Shotgun shells pinged off the head of her scythe. Some of them hit her legs, but her aura protected her from the brunt of the damage.

By the time she brought her scythe down, the man was lunging towards her. His axe streaked towards her neck, his grin even wider. Ruby dashed to the side, leaving a puff of petals in her wake.

She fired before she'd even stopped moving and used the momentum to lunge towards the man's now exposed side. But somehow he'd managed to recover from his swing in time and slammed his shield into Crescent Rose. Before Ruby could jump away, he slammed his shoulder into the shield and sent Ruby sailing backwards.

Ruby toppled backwards as she flew, until she had her back to the ground. She heard the man laugh and gritted her teeth. If she landed on her back he'd be on her in an instant, and the fight would be over. She tensed her stomach, curled her feet up and collapsed Crescent Rose into its half-extended sniper rifle form. She stabbed the barrel downwards and sparks flew as it scraped along the ground. Ruby's momentum carried her onwards as Crescent Rose slowed down. The rifle tipped her upwards and Ruby used it to flick herself up, pushing off the ground. Then she fired, launching herself into the air.

The man's axe nicked past her head as she flew upwards. The gust of wind that came with its passing flicked Ruby's hair into her face. She saw a lock of her hair fly free and fall back towards the ground

She looked back down at the man as she fired again, sending herself even higher. _You're lucky you aren't fighting Yang,_ she thought with a grim smile. _There'd be nothing left of you._

The man saw her smile and grinned in return. He took a step back and readied his axe for another strike.

"You're more fun than I thought you'd be!" he laughed. He dashed forward, swinging the axe back as he approached.

Ruby swung Crescent Rose's blade back out and flipped herself upright. She fired upwards and jerked as her momentum reversed and she rocketed towards the ground. She spun as she fell and rose petals danced in a flurry around her as she turned into a whirling blur.

Her scythe crashed into the man's shield. _How does he recover so damn fast?_ Ruby gritted her teeth and twisted Crescent Rose. She snared the edge of the shield with the hook that jutted out on the back of her scythe's head and wrenched the shield aside. The man's eyes widened as Ruby's feet slammed into his chest and sent him flying backwards, tearing the shield from his grip.

To the man's credit, he recovered as fast as he ever did. He planted one hand on the ground as he toppled over and vaulted away, turning his fall into a full flip and landing on his feet five metres away. Without even glancing at his weapon, which lay barely a few metres away, he threw himself at Ruby. He reached out with his bare hands, grasping for her throat.

Ruby fired Crescent Rose to the left and was jerked to the right. The man growled in agitation, his amused smile gone. _That_ made Ruby smile. She fired again and dashed behind him. Fired again as he spun to face her, so she stood to his left. Fired again. And again.

She dashed in a circle around him, getting faster with each shot. Rose petals filled with air and were scattered by the falling rain. The man glanced away for an instant as a rose petal drifted in front of his face, and that was when Ruby struck. She fired directly away from him and flashed towards him. He barely had time to register that an arrow-shaped spear of red was tearing towards him before Ruby slammed Crescent Rose into him.

Somehow the man was quick enough to lean back, rolling with the blow. His hand lashed out, quick as a viper, and closed around Ruby's throat. Ruby gasped for air as his hand squeezed, but was quickly cut off. The man spun with the force of Crescent Rose and hurled Ruby into the wall behind him.

Ruby managed to flip herself around just in time and she hit the wall feet-first, bending her knees to soften the impact. She looked up as she chambered a round, ready to launch herself off the wall and straight into another attack.

A sudden pain seared through her neck.

Ruby cried out in pain and fell to her knees. She raised a hand to her throat, but felt nothing there. As soon as the pain had arrived, it was gone; she wasn't even sure it had actually been there at all.

She looked up and shot to her feet. The man was standing in the middle of the road, resting his battle-axe on one shoulder. He looked utterly relaxed; Ruby felt a surge of anger at his look of disinterest.

"Well as fun as this has been," he said in a smug voice. "I'm afraid this fight is over. I'd advise you to stand down before you get hurt; I don't want to have to kill anyone on my first night."

Ruby smirked. Over? She was just getting started.

Crescent Rose roared once again and Ruby flashed towards him. He didn't react, didn't move his axe, didn't try to dodge. All he did was shake his head. Ruby swung Crescent Rose as hard as she could into his side. Ruby saw the man get knocked to the ground, saw blood blossom and run down his side.

Then her ribs caved in.

Ruby screamed as she fell to the ground, barely holding onto Crescent Rose. She heard the man laugh as she tried to pick herself up. Her vision blurred as agony burned through her. She placed a hand gently on her ribs, feeling for any blood.

There was nothing there; she couldn't feel any damage at all. Touching the spot didn't hurt her at all either. She looked down in confusion. It looked like there was nothing wrong. There was no damage to her clothes, she couldn't feel any blood, or even any cracked ribs. But her side was still screaming in agony.

Another laugh caught her attention and Ruby looked up. The man was standing a few metres away, resting his axe on his shoulder again. There was blood running down his side, though he ignored it. He was still wearing that _stupid_ smile.

"I told you," he said. "It's over. Better to just give up."

Ruby gritted her teeth and dragged herself to her feet. She didn't give up that easily. The man frowned at her.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you," he said.

Ruby almost laughed. _You'd like that, wouldn't you?_ She couldn't open her mouth to say it; she was too preoccupied gritting her teeth against the pain.

The man's gaze flickered away and he winced slightly. He half-raised a hand towards his head as he clenched his eyes shut. He shook his head fiercely.

Ruby saw her chance. She pushed herself forward, through the pain, and fired Crescent Rose to launch herself towards him.

The man's head whipped up. Ruby caught a glimpse of his eyes just before she struck; blue gems surrounded by a terrifying red. He stepped forwards, inside Crescent Rose's arc. The scythe blade wrapped around him and stabbed into the back of his left arm, rather than hitting him in the side as Ruby had intended.

Her left arm screamed in pain and she reflexively let go of Crescent Rose. She caught one more glimpse of the man's face—his eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot and his mouth was twisted in a hideous leer—before a fist crashed into her face.

She was knocked back. Crescent Rose slipped from the grip of her weaker right hand and she hit the ground weaponless. The man was on her in a flash, his hands wrapping around her neck. Ruby struggled, but the man was holding her down, and he was far stronger than her. Her side was still in agony, as well as her left arm and now she could feel blood running down her face.

The man leant in close. All trace of his earlier cocky grin was gone. All that was left now was animal rage. He grunted as his hands squeezed. Ruby gasped her air, kicking her legs, but to no avail.

The edges of Ruby's vision turned white and black spots swam before her eyes. All she could hear was the man's animalistic panting as he crushed her windpipe.

She pulled at his hands.

Tugged at his fingers.

Nothing worked.

White closed in.

Spots grew bigger.

Sound faded.

Ruby…

Went…

Numb…

The pressure lifted.

Ruby sucked in a gasping breath. Her vision swam, everything blended together into an incoherent swirl. She went into a fit of coughing, trying to gasp for breath at the same time. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and the pain she'd been feeling before started coming back. Every rain drop that landed on her head sent a pulse of pain through her brain.

Some part of her remained alert and tried to find the man. She pushed herself up onto one elbow and blinked repeatedly, trying to clear her vision. Everything was still blurry and unclear, but it was a little better. Enough to make out the shape of her almost-murderer a few metres away.

He was bending forward, with his head in his hands, muttering unintelligibly. Ruby tried to turn her head, to look for Crescent Rose, but she pain lanced through her, and she fell back to the ground. She tried to pant, but breathing too hard sent pain shooting through her as well. She was terrified; this man was clearly insane and liable to kill her at any moment, and she couldn't do a thing. Even _breathing_ put her in crippling pain.

She had nothing to do but wait until the pain lessened—it did, but _very_ little—and she could look at the man again. Her heart leapt into her throat. The man was standing right over now, axe in hand. He was panting as if in pain and glaring down at Ruby. Rain dripped off his long, drenched hair and onto Ruby.

Ruby tried to move.

Tried to scream.

Tried to plead.

Tried to close her eyes.

The pain was still crippling, and prevented her from moving or speaking, and a mix of terror and morbid curiosity stopped her from closing her eyes. She watched as the man got down on one knee and pressed a hand to her head. She flinched away from touch and nearly screamed again as pain lanced through her.

His touch was gentle, strangely so. Ruby lay still, utterly frozen, convinced that she was about to die. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't want to die, but here it was anyway. In her mind, she whimpered in fear. She couldn't help it; the terror was overwhelming. She'd been prepared to die for years, to die protecting people, saving innocent lives.

But this… This was no heroic death of a Huntress of legend. This was slaughter. She was like a helpless animal, unable to defend itself.

The man's hand stroked down her face tenderly, until he caressed her neck. His hand lingered on her throat for a few seconds, just a light touch. He was still breathing heavily and occasionally muttering angrily under his breath. Her head was pounding too hard for her to make out any of his ramblings, but the sound was enough to terrify her even more.

Then his hand lifted away.

Ruby's heart almost stopped in surprise.

The man spoke, his voice loud enough for her to understand, though it sounded pained.

"I told you: it's over. You're lucky to be alive, girl. Next time, don't be stupid."

And with that, he was gone. Ruby could make out his blurred form walking away, slinging his shield onto his back as he left Ruby lying alone in the middle of the street.

As he blended into the rain—Ruby's vision too blurry to see him across the growing distance between them—the pain in Ruby's side and arm faded. When she couldn't see the man anymore, she slumped back to the ground. She closed her eyes as the pain faded further.

_I'm alive…_

She was as surprised at the realisation as she was relieved. She laughed, a blend of relief and hysteria, then regretted it immediately as it set her throat afire. So that pain wasn't going to magically fade away…

She blinked in surprise. The pain in her side and arm was completely gone. She was still in agony: her head was pounding, her throat was burning and she could still feel blood running from what felt like a broken nose, but it was an improvement.

She levered herself onto one elbow again; it was much easier this time. She looked around her and realised that her vision was slowly focussing again. _Alright,_ she thought with trepidation. _Let's get up. Come on, Ruby!_

She hauled herself into a sitting position and her head swam, but without the pain in her side and arm, she could manage it. It took her a minute or two, but she managed to eventually drag herself to her feet.

The rain washed over her. Ruby looked up and opened her mouth. She collected half a mouthful of water and swallowed it. It was a little soothing to her throat, but she could tell it didn't do much.

She looked around—slowly—for Crescent Rose. It was laying a metre behind her, still in its scythe form. Ruby hobbled over towards it. She bent down and grabbed it, almost toppled as she straightened, but managed to maintain her footing. Taking a moment to gasp for breath, Ruby examined her surroundings, trying to get her bearings.

Her vision had cleared enough by now that she could see the building she'd been standing on top of before all this had started, about fifty metres down the street. Sighing in resignation, Ruby started the long hobble back towards it.

It took her what felt like a year—though it was more likely just a few minutes—but she reached the front of the building. Every step sent a stab of pain through her head, making simply climbing the small staircase to the front door an ordeal.

She unlocked the door to the building with her scroll and stepped inside. Getting out of the rain made her feel better. Her head threatened to split apart from the inside with each step, but at least it didn't hurt as much if she stood still now.

There was no noise within the building, which was understandable—it_ was_ the middle of the night. Ruby hobbled past the staircase, to the elevator. The doors opened as soon as she pressed the call button, and she shuffled in. She hit the button for the top floor and slumped against the wall as the elevator rose. She fought with all her might to stay upright. If she fell over, she knew she wouldn't get back up on her own.

The elevator shuddered gently as it stopped, and the doors opened. The hallway before her was well-lit, short, and had only two doors—one on each side. The entire top floor of the building was split between two apartments—one of them Ruby's. She slid along the wall to her door, eternally grateful for the short hallway.

She held her scroll in front of the scanner on the wall and the lock clicked open. She pushed the door open and nearly fell inside. The door clicked shut and locked behind her.

The room was large, wide and open. There was a dining table to Ruby's left, a kitchen directly in front of her, and—alluringly—a bedroom to her right. The bedroom was the first door in a short hallway that ran behind the kitchen, and Ruby forced herself to walk past it. She staggered down the hallway, to the bathroom.

It was a simple room. Tiled floors and walls. A shower set against the far wall, a toilet on the left, and a sink and medicine cabinet on the right. Ruby opened the medicine and pulled out a packet of painkillers. Her head was still pounding. She read the side of the packet—_take two pills every 12 hours as needed—_and tipped out four.

She pushed them into her mouth and turned on the tap. She leant forward, sucked in a mouthful of water and swung her head back as she gulped it down. Her head swam with the sudden movement and her throat cried out in protest as the pills went down, but she managed to swallow them.

Having accomplished that, Ruby moved on to the herculean task of getting back to her bedroom. She moved down the wall, using it as support, and eventually came to her door. She stumbled inside, threw Crescent Rose onto the floor, and toppled onto her bed.

Then, and only then, did Ruby relax.

Her head throbbed in pain. She knew she needed to get to sleep—she was utterly exhausted by the night's events—but she also knew that she wasn't going to, at least until the painkillers kicked in.

So she lay there, stewing in her pain and misery, the fight running through her head over and over again. Who was that man? What did he want in Vale? If he was up to no good, why had he let Ruby live?

Eventually, the pain faded away, and Ruby sighed in relief. Sleep crashed over her now that her mind was free of the debilitating pain, but, as she drifted off, she remembered.

Weiss.

Her heart seized in her chest, and she felt the grief wash over her again. She almost wanted the pain back instead.

All of a sudden, sleep was a long time coming.


	2. The Thrill of the Chase

The Beowolf roared in pain as Yang's punch, combined with a blast from Ember Celica, blew off its arm. Yang grinned and swung another fist into its now unprotected chest, blowing a fist-sized hole in the middle of it. The roar cut off suddenly, and the Beowolf toppled back.

Yang cracked her knuckles and cast her gaze over the battlefield. The light of the shattered half-moon illuminated the area well enough to see, but the circling Beowolves were still difficult to make out—they seemed to blend right into the darkness. All she could make out clearly at this distance was the white of their armour, and the glowing eyes.

None of them approached; they just circled warily. Yang cast her gaze around. There were eleven, all encircling her. She grinned. _This ought to be fun. _There was roar in the distance, outside the ring of Beowolves. An Ursa. Yang spun towards the noise, but couldn't see the monster through the darkness.

She clicked her tongue. An Ursa would've made this at least a little bit of a challenge. She rolled her neck, cracking it, and sighed. _Oh well._ She punched her fists together and a gout of flame flared behind her. As the light of the fire faded, Yang charged.

Two Beowolves roared as she approached and swung at her, their claws glinting in the pale moonlight. Yang fired Ember Celica at one, blowing off its arm, and tucked her shoulder towards the other. The second Beowolf's blow landed and her aura took the brunt of it—the claws didn't even cut her. She took the force of the blow and poured it into her semblance—her hair began to shimmer—and used the change in momentum to spin in between the two.

The Beowolf who'd lost an arm roared in pain, but lunged forward anyway, slashing at her with its remaining arm. Yang ducked the blow with a laugh—Grimm had never been good at boxing—and sent an uppercut slamming into its jaw. She fired an instant after her fist struck and blew the monster's head apart.

The other Beowolf lunged, half a second behind the first one, and Yang smoothly transitioned the uppercut into a jump. She soared over the blow and twisted in the air. The Beowolf growled as it looked up at her. Yang grinned as she cocked a fist and began to fall. Before the Beowolf had a chance to recover from its own swing, Yang's fist crashed into its head. Its armour cracked from the force of the punch alone, and a blast from Ember Celica turned its head into a red spray.

Something struck her from behind and knocked her forwards. She rolled with the blow—pouring the energy into her semblance again—and spun to face the new enemy as she rolled to her feet. Three Beowolves replaced the two she'd defeated, all lunging at once. Yang charged at them and jumped toward them.

She fired at the ground as she jumped, sending her higher and into a tight spin. She spiralled over the monsters and fired another shot the back of one of them as she passed. The one she shot staggered, but the other two spun quickly to face her. Knowing that there were more coming from behind, Yang threw herself forward.

She ducked their swipes and straightened when she stood in between the two Beowolves. She faced one of them and fired. It staggered back from the force. Before Yang could spin to the other one, it slammed a taloned hand into her back—just as planned. Smoke rose from her hair as she poured even more energy into her semblance and she used the force of the blow to lunge towards the staggered Beowolf even faster.

She threw two punches into its ribs and heard two crunches of shattered bones. The beast whimpered, clearly in agony. Yang put it out of its misery.

As it fell to the ground, Yang faced the other Beowolf. The third one had recovered and was standing with it. Light was flickering around them. Flames were dancing along Yang's hair, brightening the area more than the moon did. The Beowolves hesitated, and Yang struck.

The Grimm lashed out at her, but too late. Yang had already lunged well inside their guard and delivered a pair of bone-shattering, semblance-enhanced blows to each of their chests. Two identical holes appeared in each of the Beowolves' chests and they toppled backwards. Neither of them even had time to make a sound before they died.

Yang spun to face her remaining enemies and danced backwards, bringing her fists up. The area illuminated by her flames had shrunk slightly—her last two punches had leeched some of the energy from her semblance—and the Beowolves stalked back and forth on the edge of the circle of golden light. Yang glanced across their line quickly, counting.

_Five down, six to go. _Yang grinned. She stood on her toes, shifting her weight back and forth, ready to strike. She waited. They were all in front of her; none could hit her from behind. She could afford to catch her breath.

One of the Beowolves apparently had a surge of courage, because it lunged at Yang from the left end of the line with no warning. Yang shifted her weight to her back foot and threw herself to the left. She was moving towards the monster, but it had attacked from enough of an angle in front of her that she wasn't moving _directly_ towards it.

She twisted in the air and lashed out with her right foot. Her leg managed to slip between the Beowolf's gnashing teeth and slashing claws—missing the Beowolf completely. Once her foot was poised in the air above the monster's right shoulder, Yang swung it back and hooked her ankle on the back of its neck. She grabbed the monster's paw as it crashed into her chest, poured the energy into her semblance, and twisted to the right, bringing her foot down.

The Beowolf slammed into the ground face first and Yang heard a crack and a whimper. Yang pushed down on its neck and flicked herself into a spin. She landed lightly and used the momentum of her rapid spin to slam a foot into the monster's head. It's head jerked to the side and there was a loud crack as its neck snapped.

Yang looked up, her smile growing wider. _One more down. And that was _awesome_! _The remaining Beowolves hesitated, perhaps frightened by her manic grin. _Can't blame them. _I'd_ be scared if I had to fight someone as badass as me. _

The Ursa roared again, closer this time, from behind the Beowolves. Yang glanced over them, but still couldn't see it through the darkness. One of the beasts to her right glanced behind it as well, and Yang took her opportunity.

The blow she'd taken from the last Beowolf had fuelled her semblance quite well and Yang transferred a portion of that energy and put it behind the next blow. She fired Ember Celica as she struck and the monster's torso vanished, leaving a confused looking wolf head atop a pair of legs.

_Four. _

Yang lunged straight into another attack, ducked a swipe of dagger-sharp claws, and sent a thundering punch into the attacker's knee. The Beowolf howled and Yang cut its cry short with a quick uppercut to the jaw—combined with a shot from Ember Celica.

_Three._

One of them hit her from behind. Yang rolled forward, leeching the energy of the blow. The Ursa roared again, its roar now overpowering the growls of the Beowolves. Yang spun towards the noise and saw the hulking shape through the gloom. It wasn't clear, but she could make out its general outline in the moonlight.

Disregarding it for now, Yang fired two rounds at the nearest Beowolf. The monster, distracted too by the rapidly approaching Ursa, took both hits in the side and staggered away with a howl. Another one leapt over the wounded Beowolf's head, using his injured comrade as a platform to lunge at Yang.

Yang stepped to the left as the beast approached and turned with it as it passed. She ducked its swipe but stayed close enough to it that she could send a semblance-enhanced punch around its arm and into its head with her right hand. The monster hit the ground, and stayed there.

_Two._

The Ursa burst into the circle of firelight, its arms flailing madly. It clubbed both remaining Beowolves away and reared, roaring an angry challenge. Yang looked up at it, raising an eyebrow. It was _big_. Had to be an Ursa Major, and an old one, for it be so huge. It was at least twice Yang's height when it reared up.

The Ursa lurched towards one of the Beowolves and Yang could see the spikes of the armour on its back, jutting at least a metre out. The Ursa roared once again and a blurry shape seemed to jump off its back.

Yang stood, hands on her hips, as a burst of pink light exploded against the Ursa's back and it toppled forwards, crushing the Beowolf in front of it as it died. There was a sound of sliding metal and shifting gears. Pink light flashed once again as a hammer slammed into the chest of the last Beowolf. The figure, standing on the edge of Yang's circle of dwindling firelight, swung its hammer up and rested the weapon on its shoulder.

Yang grinned. "Hey Nora."

Nora stepped into the light. Her orange hair looked like a patch of fire in the yellow light, light that glinted in her turquoise eyes. She folded Magnhild into its launcher form and hung it on her back as she looked around. Her face was a mask of disappointment.

"Aww…" she groaned. "I missed out on all the fun."

"Don't worry," Yang said with a laugh. "There'll be more fun to have." The last of the flames in her hair faded away. "I was just… getting warmed up."

Nora looked around at the corpses of the Beowolves, looking more upset with each one she saw. Yang waited for a few seconds, hoping Nora would get the joke, then frowned and turned away when she realised it had gone over her head.

Yang stood in the moonlight and looked at her feet as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. Once she could make out the blades of grass under her boots, she looked up. In the distance, she could see a small village. There were some lights shining from within windows; not enough for her to see it clearly, but enough to see where it was.

_Smart_, she thought. _Keep the lights low; make it harder for Grimm to find you._

"So what happened?" Yang called out, glancing over her shoulder. Nora was kicking idly at the corpse of the Ursa and raised her head at Yang's question. She walked over and stood next to Yang, looking down at the village.

"None of the villagers seem to know anything," Nora said, scratching idly behind one ear. "They said that one of them was acting funny, though. Apparently he has a hunting cabin around here, so I figured I'd come grab you before I went there; thought you'd want to join in the fun."

"Oh, definitely." Yang grinned hungrily. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Nora grinned and bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "So we're going in now?"

"Absolutely."

Nora cried out in excitement and jumped into the air. "Alright! Let's go. I know where the cabin is. Follow me!"

Nora suddenly launched into a run and disappeared into the darkness. Yang jerked into a chase, surprised by Nora's sudden departure. She caught up within a few seconds, running slightly behind Nora so that the orange-haired woman could lead the way.

Within minutes, they came to a slow stop. There was hunting cabin visible at the top of hill in front of them, near the edge of a small forest. Yang glanced towards the village, and back towards the hill where she'd fought the Beowolves.

"Do you think they'd have heard us?" she asked, more to herself than to Nora.

"Who cares?" Nora said. Her voice was dripping with excitement. "Let's go!"

Yang took a moment to inspect the cabin. It was small, likely just one room; isolated, there were no other structures in sight—other than the village in the distance; and lit from within, though she couldn't see any signs of movement through the window.

Nora was nearly jumping out of her skin in anticipation. "Can we go in? Come on, I want to _hit something!_" It was a testament to the energetic woman's innocent nature that Yang didn't even feel slightly disturbed by her outburst, she just chuckled and shook her head.

"We'll go in," Yang said. Nora started to cry out in excitement. "Slowly," Yang added, cutting Nora's celebration short. "And quietly. We want to make sure they're in there before we start destroying the poor man's house."

"And if they're in there?"

"Then he's clearly working with them and his house can go to hell."

Nora grinned evilly.

Yang shook her head again. Nothing got Nora more excited than the prospect of destroying something—at least as far as Yang knew. She'd have to remember to ask Ren when they got back to Vale.

Yang jogged quietly up the hill, Nora following close behind. They ran to the side of the building and leant against the wall. Nora swung Magnhild off her shoulder and shifted it into its hammer form. Yang pressed an ear to the wooden wall and closed her eyes, straining to hear anything happening inside, but couldn't make anything out. Either the wall was too thick, they knew the Huntresses were outside and were trying to be quiet, or they weren't there.

She could live with the first two, but the third one worried her. Yang had been chasing this crew down for weeks, tracing leads and going on a damn wild goose chase around half of Remnant. They were clever; they knew how to cover their tracks, but she'd found them a few days ago. Apparently they'd fled to a small village a few miles south of Atlas.

Not willing to give them the chance to slip away again, Yang had asked Nora to accompany her. The orange-topped ball of exuberance had been somewhat reluctant at first—she almost always went on missions with Ren, and _usually_ Jaune and Pyrrha as well. Though the teams had technically been disbanded after graduation, most of them tended to stick together. Years spent gelling together and learning how each other fought helped immensely on the battlefield, but the official disbandment of the teams meant that Hunters and Huntresses were allowed to take on missions alone, or with other companions, if they desired.

So Yang had asked Nora, knowing that her instinct for finding a fight would make sure Yang's quarry didn't get away again. Ren had spoken to Nora—told her that he couldn't come due to 'prior engagements' but that she should go anyway—and her reluctance had vanished almost immediately. Though they still hadn't meshed together entirely, still weren't quite sure how to complement each other best in a battle, Yang was grateful for Nora's company.

"They're in there!" Nora hissed, snapping Yang out of her thoughts. "I can _smell them_!"

Yang glanced back at her, raising a worried eyebrow. The more time she spent with Nora, the stranger the woman seemed. Yang couldn't help but feel a little glad Nora hadn't been on her team at Beacon. The thought of having to hold her reins, to keep her from going crazy while on a mission, seemed like a terrifying ordeal. Yang suddenly gained a newfound respect for Ren.

"Okay," Yang whispered. She pulled a fresh bandolier of shells from her belt and reloaded Ember Celica, dropping the unused shells from the previous bandolier into a small pouch. "We're going to go in as quiet as we can. If we can take them silently, all the better. If they fire on us, we give 'em hell."

Nora squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her grip on Magnhild. "Please fire on us. Please fire on us. Please fire on us!" she prayed quietly. Yang grinned. She had to admit: she was hoping for a fight too. After chasing these guys for the last few weeks, Yang wanted to break some bones before she locked them away.

Yang crept around the side of the house, to the front door. She held a hand out to Nora, signalling her to stop, and pointed at the door.

_Wait til I go in,_ she mouthed. _Jump through once it starts. _

Nora nodded with another grin and held Magnhild at the ready. Yang put a hand on the doorknob, blinked in surprise when she realised it unlocked, and pushed the door open. The door squeaked as it swung open; Yang winced at the noise. She stepped quickly into the room, and raised her fists, ready to attack.

The room was empty. There was a lit candle sitting alone on the table, its flame flickering in the draught that blew through the open door. There was one bed, against the wall, and a rack of hunting tools and weapons on the other side of the room.

Yang lowered her hands and swore. _Not here either. Where the _hell_ are they? _Nora followed her into the room and looked around curiously. She jumped up and down on the floor, eyes glued to her feet.

There was a creak.

Yang's eyes shot to the floor. Nora was standing on a rug, large enough to cover most of the floor. They shared a grin and heaved the rug aside. There was a small trapdoor in the floor. Relief flooded through Yang. _Not a failure yet._

They lifted the trapdoor and revealed a staircase, descending into darkness. There was a hint of dim light at the bottom of the stairs, though not enough to see by.

There was a loud crash from below them, followed by the sound of angry cursing.

"You _idiot_!" a voice hissed. "What if someone hears us?"

"Oh calm down," another voice replied calmly. "No one but my uncle ever goes near here, and there's no way that Huntress will find us here. She should be looking for us somewhere in _Menagerie _by now!"

Yang raised an eyebrow. _Is that right? _She glanced back at Nora—who was grinning wider than ever—and began down the stairs.

She stopped when a step squeaked under her weight, but there was no reaction from below, so she continued. She saw a closed door as she reached the bottom, with light shining through the crack at the bottom.

She straightened and walked towards the door. They had nowhere to go now; there was no need to be subtle. She lifted a foot and got ready to kick the door in, then hesitated. She lowered her leg and glanced at Nora.

With a grin, Yang stepped to the side, gesturing towards the door. "Would you do the honours?" she asked.

Nora bounced forward, swung Magnhild back and sent it thundering into the door. The door didn't smash inwards, it just broke into pieces. Nora followed the shattered pieces of wood into the room, screaming in delight, and Yang dove in after her.

There were two men in the room, both frozen in terror, facing the door. Yang recognised them both: the faces of the men she'd been hunting. One of them—Yang couldn't tell if he was the smarter one, or the dumber one—snatched a gun off the table and swung it towards her.

Yang readied herself to dodge and counterattack but, before the man could fire, Magnhild crashed into his arms, snapping them both with hideous crack. The man screamed and dropped to the floor.

The second man, following the first's lead apparently, aimed his own gun at Nora. This time Yang stepped in and slugged him across the jaw before he could fire. He dropped the gun and toppled over. Yang caught his sleeve and hoisted him up, pushing her face into his.

"Who's helping you?" she shouted into his face.

The pair had been small-time criminals in Vale: muggings, the odd petty burglary, nothing major. Then, one day, they'd murdered a couple on the street and vanished. Yang had read their criminal records, their psych profiles. Neither of these men were smart. They wouldn't know how to _begin_ to disappear the way they had; which meant someone had helped them. Someone smart, and well-funded.

"_Who are you working for?_" Yang screamed.

The man's head slumped back. Looked like her punch had knocked him out immediately. Yang often forgot how strong her punches were; she was used to fighting—or sparring—with people who had active auras.

She dropped him to the floor with a resigned sigh. Nora was standing over the other, incapacitated man, who looked like he'd just passed out from the pain of his shattered arms. _Great, _ Yang thought. _Now neither of them can talk. _

She sighed again. _Oh well, they're not going anywhere now. _She turned towards the door.

"Nora, can you watch them? I'm going to go call for extraction." Nora nodded, folded Magnhild in a launcher and stood between the two men, glancing between them every few seconds.

Yang climbed the staircase, crossed the cabin's room and stepped outside. She pulled out her scroll and open the comm channel to her airship pilot.

"This is Yang Xaio Long. We're ready for pick up."

There was a pause, and then: "Roger that, Yang. We're on our way."

"ETA?"

"Within the hour. Are you in trouble?"

"No, no. Everything's fine. We're happy to wait."

"See you soon, Yang."

The channel clicked off and Yang tucked her scroll back into its padded pouch in her belt.

Yang looked out towards the village, and the horizon beyond it. She could see the line of the horizon, the sky above it was beginning to lighten. The sun would be up soon.

With one last glance up at the stars, Yang turned and walked back inside.

Neither of the men had moved in the time Yang had been gone, and Nora had apparently gotten bored. The apparently very impatient women had swung Magnhild onto her back, handcuffed both unconscious men, and was now perusing a stack of shelves against the wall.

_Probably a good idea_, Yang realised. _There might be something on their employer in here._

She turned to another shelf and began flicking through it, searching for anything interesting. There was nothing. Most of it was related to hunting, both Grimm and animal, and anything else was entirely innocent. Yang glanced over at Nora from time to time, wondering if she'd found anything, and checked the men, though neither of them seemed to have woken up.

The sound of engines outside caught Yang's attention. Their pick-up had arrived. She and Nora picked up one of the men each and carried them outside. The sun was creeping over the horizon now, the top of yellow disk just visible, and Yang could see around her clearly.

The small airship had landed just outside the cabin, and Yang and Nora jumped in. It was a smaller airship, one used to fly around kingdoms and the surrounding areas; they had a larger, long distance airship, waiting for them just outside Atlas. They sat their prisoners against the back wall of the cabin, and grabbed hold of the rail across from them.

"Back to the ship?" the pilot shouted over the engines.

"Yeah!" Yang shouted back.

"Are we heading back to Vale straight away, Ma'am? I'll have to send a message ahead if we are; to tell the crew to refuel before we get back."

"No, not straight away! We'll head back tonight!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Nora raised an eyebrow at Yang. "Tonight?" she asked.

Yang nodded. "Tonight. I need to make a trip into Atlas while we're here."

Nora eyed her for a few seconds. "You're going to visit Weiss, aren't you?"

Yang hesitated for a moment and then nodded. Nora's other eyebrow joined the first, then she looked away, towards the prisoners.

Yang sighed. Even Nora could tell…

This wasn't going to be a fun visit.


	3. New Developments

The sun had been rising over Atlas for an hour before it was high enough to shine into the windows of the Schnee family estate. People were beginning to fill the streets below; on their way to work, or out to run errands. Airships could be seen in the air above the city walls, flying in and around the city. Atlas was too big to be patrolled by men on foot alone. There were still men on the walls surrounding the city, but the airships' speed and ability to safely stray outside the walls made them a necessary addition.

Weiss flinched as the sun shone directly through her window and onto her face. Her eyes flickered and cracked open. Raising a hand to shield her eyes, she glanced at the clock on her bedside table and, seeing what time it was, rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

Just as she was beginning to drift into a pleasant state of half-sleep, a knock at the door dragged her back to consciousness. Weiss grumbled under her breath as she rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the door. Whoever was knocking had better have a _damn _good reason for waking her up.

They knocked again.

Weiss' upper lip twitched in irritation.

"Miss Weiss? Are you awake?" a quiet female voice asked.

Weiss sighed. _Coral, why you? _She could never bring herself to me mad at Coral; the girl always looked so… vulnerable. And Weiss really wanted to yell at someone. Why couldn't she, on _this_ day of all days, sleep in for an hour or two?

Weiss swung the door open and forced a small smile onto her face. "Good morning, Coral."

Coral smiled at Weiss. She stood half a head shorter than Weiss, with short-cut, strawberry blonde hair and pale grey eyes, and wore simple Schnee maid livery.

"I am now, Coral," Weiss sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "What's the matter?"

"There's… someone who wants to speak to you."

That piqued Weiss' interest and she perked up. "Thank you, Coral," Weiss smiled more genuinely this time. "I'll get dressed and be right there."

Coral bowed with another smile and left. Weiss watched her walk for a second, thinking. _About damn time. _She closed the door and hurried into the bathroom. After taking a hurried shower, tying a rough ponytail and dressing into a plain—for her tastes—outfit, Weiss stepped out of her chamber and hurried down the hall.

Servants bowed as she passed, and Weiss almost made a point of at least nodding back. Some of them—the ones who worked directly for her, or those she'd known since she was a child—she stopped to talk to. They all seemed grateful for her care and concern; their polite smiles widened into grins when she greeted them by name.

A few minutes later, Weiss opened the door to her office and slipped inside. It wasn't a big room; no larger than her bedroom. There was a desk with a high-backed chair behind it, and two soft chairs positioned in front of it. There was a window along the length of the left wall and smaller one behind her chair. The walls were decorated with detailed paintings and the floor was covered in a well-kept Ursa Major skin rug.

Weiss rounded her desk in a flash and thumped into her chair. She opened her scroll and placed it on a small receiver set into the desk. The screen of the scroll lit up, displaying a keyboard, and a holographic screen appeared in the air above the desk. Weiss' fingers danced across the keyboard and the screen's display blinked on.

_Welcome, Weiss._

Weiss glanced out the window as she waited the home screen to load. An airship caught her attention. It was smaller than the others and looked like it was heading towards the estate's landing pad. Weiss couldn't quite tell from where she sat but… it _looked_ like a Vale ship. Vale's and Atlas' ships had similar designs—thanks to Ozpin and Ironwood's constant collaboration—but there were slight differences.

A cheerful tone rang out from her scroll. Weiss dismissed the airship—it didn't matter—and turned back to her desk. The home screen had appeared on the hologram in front of her, and a blue light was blinking in the corner.

Weiss tapped at a few keys and the blue blip grew to engulf the entire screen, then it went black. Colour reappeared a second later and showed Weiss' caller, wearing an amused smile.

Weiss took a breath. "Neptune."

"Weiss." Neptune's grin widened almost imperceptibly before shrinking again almost instantly. Weiss noticed. "Did I wake you up?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. She'd inspected herself in the mirror before leaving her room; she didn't look _that _bad. Certainly not of her usual standard, she'd willingly admit, but she'd _thought_ this call was going to be important.

"Any news?"

Neptune snickered into his hand. Weiss gave him a bland look that brought him up short. He cleared his throat and took a breath.

"You were right." As soon as he got started, Neptune was suddenly all business. "There's definitely something going on here. I couldn't get any details—Schnee Company officials are keeping everything locked up tight—but there's definitely a surplus of Dust coming into the city."

"A _surplus_?" Weiss asked. "You're sure?"

Neptune nodded. "Coming in. I don't know where it goes after that. I managed to snatch a look at a manifest while I was snooping around. It said there was ten tonnes of Dust in the last shipment, but there was definitely at least twelve coming in."

Weiss rubbed at her eyes as she sighed. "Twelve tonnes… Gods… We usually send eight."

Neptune raised an eyebrow. "So why the sudden increase?"

"I _don't know_." Weiss spat, frustrated. "I'd thought that a sudden increase to _ten _tonnes was odd, that's why I asked you to look into it. But if there's even more than the manifests say…"

"You didn't notice the deficit on your end?"

"No. That's what bothers me most. There's no record here of any Dust going missing since…" Weiss tapped at the keyboard, and a smaller screen appeared in the corner of the display. "Two years ago. We've been secure ever since the White Fang was disbanded. Who else would rob us? Who else would be _able_ to?"

"I don't know, Weiss," Neptune said. He pursed his lips and rubbed at his chin in thought. "I don't know. I couldn't find anything here; what I _do_ know I had to work out through observation. Hell, I might still be wrong."

Weiss sighed. Even if Neptune was wrong about the extra Dust being moved, there was _definitely_ something going on. And she had to get to the bottom of it. No one else was paying it any attention. She wasn't sure if they just hadn't noticed, or if they were purposely ignoring it. And she wasn't sure which was more worrying. Was their security really that lax? Or did they have a traitor in their midst?

"Weiss?" Neptune sounded concerned.

Weiss looked up, faked a small smile and sat back. It didn't fool Neptune for a second. He sighed.

"We're going to sort this out, alright? We'll find out what's going on," he reassured her.

Weiss smiled again. It came a bit easier this time.

"It's all well and good to say that," she rebutted. "But I don't know how we're going to. I can't find _any_ evidence of missing Dust here in Atlas, and I'm sure even if I went to the warehouses, there'd be no evidence _there_ either!"

"If we don't have any evidence," Neptune said, "then we have to _get_ some. If there really is more Dust coming into Mistral, then we're more likely to find evidence for it here. Hell, if we're lucky, we'll find the Dust."

Weiss nodded silently as she pondered his words.

"If Sun was here, I'd get him to help," Neptune continued. "But I haven't heard from him in weeks. Scarlet and Sage have been off Gods know where for almost two months now…"

Weiss smiled nostalgically as Neptune talked about his old teammates. It made Weiss think of hers. Blake, the quiet but firm warrior for justice, always willing to lend anyone a helping hand, no matter the cost; Yang, the fiery thrill seeker who fought whatever fight she could get her hands on; and Ruby…

_Gods… Ruby…_

Weiss shuddered and closed her eyes as she pictured Ruby's face. Her innocent, loving smile. Her sparkling, silver eyes. The untroubled, adorable face she always wore when she slept. Her cheerful, ringing laugh.

The devastated look she'd had when Weiss had pushed her away.

The tears. The screams. The sobs.

The_ blood._

"Weiss?" Neptune called her name again and Weiss snapped out of her memories. She dashed away the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"You okay?" Neptune asked.

"Yeah… I just… Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Weiss gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"So what are we going to?" Neptune asked as if nothing had happened. She was grateful for the change of subject. _Back to business, Weiss._

"I at least need to get this red tape cleared," he continued. "I can't find anything out with everything locked up and out of sight."

She shook her head. "Me suddenly giving you clearance to look through shipping manifests will look more suspicious than anything we've found on _them_ so far. If someone is working within the company to accomplish this, then we can't afford to tip them off."

Neptune nodded. "So…"

"I'm coming to Mistral."

He blinked in surprise. "Oh… really? Are you sure? Won't that be suspicious as well?"

Weiss shook her head with a smile. "It shouldn't be. I can spread the story that I'm shipping out on a mission for a few weeks. I've done it before. Whenever I get bored around here, I take a job outside the city. No one will think twice about it."

Neptune smiled. "Well it'll be nice to have you around. I could certainly use the help. I'll finally get to see the big Schnee Heiress in action!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. The evil Ice Queen attacks!"

"Hey, your words, not mine." Neptune gave her an amused grin.

Weiss rolled her eyes again and decided to move the conversation along. "I'll leave Atlas tonight. I should be there within a day or so."

He nodded. "I'll meet you at the landing pad. Let me know when you're an hour out."

Weiss nodded and reached out to end the call.

"Actually, before you go!" Neptune interjected.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes?"

"Have you… uh… talked to Blake recently?"

Weiss blinked in surprise. "Blake? No, I haven't. Not for a couple of weeks. Why?"

He frowned, disappointed. "I was just wondering if she'd seen Sun recently. He up and left with no warning, and I still haven't heard from him; I'm starting to get a little worried."

Weiss smiled. "I'll call her later on today, before I go, and ask her for you."

Neptune smiled in gratitude. "Thanks, Weiss. Talk to you later."

She nodded and ended the call. The screen blinked off for a second before returning to the home screen.

Weiss slumped back in her chair and started to think. What was she going to do? She had to go to Mistral, that much was obvious. But what could she and Neptune do once she got there? They didn't have anywhere to start, they had no leads, and they weren't even a hundred percent sure that anything was wrong in the first place. Weiss was convinced something _was_ but, logically, she had to admit she was acting mostly on intuition.

She sighed and tapped a key on her scroll. She waited for a few seconds in silence, waiting for the call to go through. There was a small beep to let her know the call had been answered, and Coral's voice came through the speaker.

"Miss Weiss?"

"Coral," Weiss said, "can you pack a small suitcase for me? Combat clothes and… one formal outfit."

"Yes, Miss Weiss," Coral answered. Weiss swore she could hear her bowing. "Miss Weiss?"

"Yes, Coral?"

"Are you going on another mission?"

"Yes, Coral. I shouldn't be gone for any longer than two weeks, so a small case will do. Can you make sure all my Dust pouches are refilled as well?"

"Yes, Miss Weiss. Should I tell your father you're leaving?"

Weiss grimaced. "Wait at least until after I've gone, and then only if he asks you."

"Yes, Miss Weiss. I'll see to it at once."

"I'll be leaving tonight," Weiss said. "There's no rush just yet."

"I'll see to it at once, Ma'am." Her voice sounded a little firmer.

Weiss smiled. "Thank you, Coral." Then she ended the call. She sat back with a smirk and giggled quietly. It was the only time Coral ever showed any sign of a backbone: whenever Weiss suggested she take a rest, or take her time. The girl was quiet and shy, but she was loyal and devoted to her duties. Weiss was always grateful to have her around.

A ringing rang out of her scroll. Weiss looked at the screen and frowned slightly when she saw Coral's name. _Why would she be calling back so soon?_ She answered the call, curious.

"Coral? What's the matter?"

"Uh… You have a… visitor, Miss Weiss." The girl sounded terrified. Weiss' frown deepened. Who would be visiting this early in the morning?

"Who is it?"

"Uh… I… I don't know, Ma'am. Apparently an old friend from Beacon."

_Who the hell…_

"Send them in, Coral. Thank you."

"At once, Miss Weiss."

Weiss stood up and paced her room. No one had told her they were visiting. She hadn't even _spoken_ to anyone from Beacon in weeks. She knew Blake would call later—Blake never forgot Weiss' birthday—but hadn't expected anyone to _visit_. _Maybe Pyrrha… _

Still frowning, Weiss sat back at her desk and waited. There was a knock at the door a minute later.

"Come in," Weiss called out, getting to her feet to greet her visitor.

The doorknob turned and the door swung inwards. Weiss' eyebrows nearly hit the ceiling when she saw who walked in.

"Hey, Weiss."

"Yang… Hi."

They stood in silence, just looking at each other. Yang was wearing a small smile, while Weiss just gaped. She snapped herself out of her shock and smiled.

"It's good to see you, Yang." Weiss said, genuinely meaning it. She'd spent four years with Yang, and hadn't seen her for a year. She hadn't realised it until now, but Weiss had missed _all_ her teammates terribly.

"What're you doing here?" Weiss continued. "Oh! Sorry! Sit down, sit down." Yang smiled and sat in a chair in front of Weiss' desk while Weiss sat behind it.

"Sorry, I was just… surprised to see you," Weiss stammered. "How are you? How's Blake?"

Yang smiled. "I'm good; Blake as well. She'd be here too, no doubt, but she was busy back home. Lots of students to deal with, lots to do—you remember how _we_ were at Beacon. It keeps her on her toes."

"That's great," Weiss said with a smile. "So what's going on? What're you doing in Atlas?

Golden hair shimmered in the light as Yang shrugged. "I was in the area, on a job. Thought I'd stop by and say hello."

Weiss laughed. "Sure you were. A job? Around _here_? What job could bring you near Atlas?"

Yang shrugged again. "I was chasing down some small-time thugs from Vale. They apparently got well-funded and smart all of a sudden, killed some innocent people and bolted."

Weiss frowned. "Killed people? We got a report a little while ago that two employees at the Vale branch of the company had been murdered."

Yang nodded. "That was them. They both worked for the Schnee Dust Company, but there was no apparent motive behind the killings. They were… random."

Lines formed on Weiss forehead as her frown deepened.. "So you caught them?"

"Yeah, they're locked up on an airship, ready to go back to Vale."

"Good," Weiss nodded. "I'd be interested to hear what they have to say."

"Me too," Yang said, cracking her knuckles menacingly. "Believe me."

Weiss smiled. Yang hadn't changed at all.

"So anyway," Yang said. "How about you?"

Weiss waved a hand dismissively. "Oh nothing much. Helping around the company, going on jobs. Nothing that exciting."

"Jobs, huh?" Yang asked.

Weiss nodded.

"Alone?"

Weiss' heart sank. _I should've known… _"Sometimes," Weiss said, trying to sound as calm as possible. "Neptune visits from time to time. Pyrrha sometimes stops by with Jaune. But… Yes. Mostly alone." She couldn't stop the hint of regret that slipped into her voice.

Yang nodded, all traces of a smile gone.

"You didn't come to wish me a happy birthday, did you, Yang?" Weiss asked.

Yang hesitated, then shook her head. "I honestly didn't know it was today."

Weiss nodded and sighed. "So what did you come to talk about?"

"Do I really need to say it?"

Weiss felt her heart creeping up into her throat. She'd been dreading this conversation for over a year now.

"Ruby," Weiss said. Her voice broke slightly. Yang didn't seem to notice.

"Ruby," Yang agreed. She met Weiss' eyes, locking Weiss in place with the force of her gaze.

Weiss swallowed. "What's there to talk about?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You know, Weiss, I'm trying to stay as calm about this as I can. I told you a long time ago that if you ever hurt her, I'd hurt you, but out of respect for the years we spent together, I'm doing my best here to avoid that. I'd like to think of you as a friend Weiss, I really would. After all we've been through, I could even say I love you—in an almost sisterly way. So I'm doing all I can to stay calm, but—as you're my friend—I think it's only fair to warn you: don't push me."

Anger swelled in Weiss' chest. _Who does she think she is? Coming into _my_ house and threatening _me_? _She opened her mouth to say something sharp and cutting, but her inner guilt stopped her.

_She's right though,_ the guilty voice said. _You _did_ hurt Ruby. She's not in the wrong here. Just see what she has to say._

_Screw that!_ the anger seemed to shout. _She's threatening you in your own damn house! Let her know who's boss._

Yang watched in silence throughout Weiss' internal conflict. After a few seconds of inner debate, Weiss opened her mouth again.

"What do you want, Yang?"

Yang eyed her for a moment, then nodded. "I want an explanation. Not whatever load of crap you fed Ruby to make her feel better. I want to know why you broke my baby sister's heart."

Weiss seized up. Her arms and legs stiffened. Her fingers squeezed the arms of her chair so hard her knuckles turned white.

She didn't even know where to start. What could she say that would make sense? What could she say that wouldn't sound… cruel? _Nothing,_ the guilty voice whispered. _It _was_ cruel, you know that._

"I…" Weiss hesitated. "There's nothing I can say that will make it better, Yang. I just… I couldn't deal with it."

Yang's voice was almost a whisper. "Deal with what?"

Weiss felt guilty—_horrible_—just thinking about it, but she forced herself to choke out the words. "I couldn't deal with Ruby. She was… is… childish."

Yang's voice was ice cold. "You broke her heart because she was _'childish'_?"

Weiss shook her head. "It's not that simple… I just… She became very… dependant on me. And there's nothing wrong with that!" she added quickly as Yang's eyebrows furrowed in anger. "But… she was meant to be our leader. She's meant to be _a_ leader, even you know that."

Yang nodded, though she seemed a little uncertain.

"Exactly," Weiss continued. "I just… She needed to be… more. She needs to be able to stand on her own two feet, and not depend on me. She's the kind of person that other people need to depend on and I was afraid that, if I stayed with her, she'd never be able to become that. You saw how overly dependent she was on me; it wasn't going to help her become who she needed to be—who we both know she _wanted_ to be."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "So you did it for her?"

Weiss hesitated. _Did I? Really? _She shook her head. "Not entirely. I felt like… I felt like I was holding her back. We all saw how she progressed over the years. We all saw the potential she had. All I ever saw was what she could be if she wasn't using me as a crutch. I didn't want to be the thing that kept her from that. I couldn't stand living everyday thinking I was holding her back. So… guilt, I guess. And insecurity. I couldn't handle the pressure of being her… whatever I was."

Yang looked at her feet in silence, thinking. Weiss sat back and waited, looking out the window. They sat in silence for what felt like an hour.

"It didn't work," Yang finally whispered.

Weiss' head snapped around, meeting Yang's suddenly tearful gaze. "W-what?"

"I don't know what you thought would happen if you left," Yang said. "But it didn't work."

"What do you mean?"

"She's miserable, Weiss. She's absolutely miserable. I've never seen her so miserable for so long. Ever since the day you left, she hasn't gotten any better. She stares off into the distance all the time, randomly starts crying. She goes out on missions for the _distraction_. She throws herself headlong into danger, knowing that a fight for her life will get _you_ out of her head for a few minutes."

Weiss went limp.

Yang just shook her head. "I don't even know what to do. I don't know if anything can make it any better now."

Weiss met Yang's eyes. "I'll come back," she whispered. As guilt-ridden and miserable as Weiss felt knowing the state Ruby was in, a part of her was happy for it: it meant she could go back—and that feeling of happiness made her feel even more guilty.

Yang shook her head. "I don't know what that would do to her. With the state she's in, it might just make things worse."

"Yang, I'll come back!" Weiss got to her feet as her voice rose.

Yang just looked up at her, emotionless. Then she nodded. "Well, if you do, don't make it sudden. She doesn't need anything to rock the boat too hard at the moment. Ease your way back in."

Weiss nodded. It made sense. She slumped back into her seat with a sigh. She couldn't even begin to tell what she was feeling. Misery, relief, love, joy, guilt… All of it blended into a big… mess.

Yang stood. "I'd better go. I've got to get these guys back to Vale."

Weiss nodded. "Yang!" she called out as Yang turned to leave. "How… How did I do?"

Yang met her eyes and hesitated. Then she gave Weiss a small smile. "I'll let it slide this time. See you around, Snow Angel."

Weiss smiled back, and Yang left.

Weiss looked down and reached towards her throat. She grabbed the delicate chain that hung around her neck and pulled it out of her shirt. Dangling gently on the chain was a silver rose; Ruby's symbol. Weiss looked at it, as she often did, and thought of Ruby. Remembered the smile on her face, and the touch of her lips…

Weiss' head was spinning. She hadn't had a birthday this eventful… ever. She'd resigned herself to being hated by Yang, and probably Ruby, forever and yet… Now she had hope. Maybe she could go back to Vale. Maybe she and Ruby could…

_After this business in Mistral is dealt with._

Weiss nodded. She couldn't afford to get side-tracked yet. As glad as she was for the chance to be with Ruby again, Weiss knew she still had a job to do. Neptune was waiting in Mistral, and he needed her help to solve this mystery. Yang had told Weiss to ease her way back; she could do that from Mistral.

_Maybe I'll call Ruby later tonight… See how she's doing…_

Weiss kissed the silver rose and tucked it back under her shirt, then got out of her seat and left the office. She walked through the corridors of the Schnee Estate, towards her bedroom, greeting servants along the way. Coral was probably done with the bag by now; Weiss was ready to leave.


	4. Coincidences

It was past noon by the time Blake made it to her office. Sleep had not come easily the night before; a feeling of unease had kept her awake until almost dawn. She couldn't say what it was that had made her so restless, just that she had a sense of on-coming danger—an approaching threat—even now.

The door slid open as Blake held her scroll in front of the scanner and she stepped into her cool, air-conditioned office. It was simple. A desk at the back, a chair on each side of it, and a small lounge against the left wall. There was a window on the wall to the right that looked out over the grounds of Beacon Academy.

Blake stood at the window for a minute, looking out. There were students milling about, back and forth, across the courtyard directly below, on their way to and from classes or on their lunch break. Blake smiled. There was something about watching everything work smoothly and peacefully that always set her mind at ease.

She could see a hint of her reflection in the tinted glass, and couldn't resist the urge to inspect herself. There were a hint of bags under her golden, almost feline eyes from her lack of sleep the night before. Her hair hung down to the middle of her back haphazardly; she hadn't taken the time to brush it out that morning. The only thing that really looked normal were her clothes: plain white blouse, short cut black jacket and black pants.

She turned away with a sigh and scratched at one of her feline ears. She'd gotten rid of the bow over a year ago, after graduation, but sometimes it still felt strange to have them out in the open; she'd grown so used to hiding who she was that it was uncomfortable at times to be so open about her heritage.

Blake sat at her desk and put her scroll down. A holographic screen blinked on in the air in front of her, and Blake tapped in her password. She sat back with a sigh as the home screen appeared. She looked around the room for any notes for her, but found none.

Her assistant, Kelly, was always here in the morning, waiting for Blake. She would give Blake a schedule for the day, let her know what she had to do, or who she had to see, but there was nothing today. Not that Blake could blame Kelly for that, she had come in _hours_ late.

_Oh well, _Blake focussed on the screen in front of her. _She'll come back eventually. _

Blake tapped a key and her list of contact popped open. She scrolled down until she found Weiss' name and hit the selection key. The screen went blank as the call went through. Blake scratched behind her ear as she waited.

There was a beep and Weiss' face appeared on the screen. Blake smiled; it had been a while since she and Weiss had talked.

"Happy birthday, Weiss," Blake said.

Weiss smiled. "Thank you, Blake. How are you?"

"I'm good. A little tired, couldn't sleep last night. But, other than that, I'm good."

The heiress frowned slightly. "Is everything okay?"

Blake waved her concern away. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know what happened. Just a restless night, I guess."

Weiss nodded, then smirked. "Looking forward to having Yang back?"

An affectionate smile grew beneath golden eyes at the mention of Yang's name. "I guess so… Wait… How did you know Yang wasn't here?"

Weiss laughed. "She came to visit me this morning—"

"_Yang_ did? _My_ Yang?"

"Yes, _your _Yang. Unless there's another Yang we both know who looks exactly like yours."

"Why would she do that?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad that an old friend coming to visit me is cause for such surprise. What do people think of me in Vale?"

Blake blushed. "I didn't mean it like that, Weiss. I was just surprised that's all. Yang didn't mention that she was going to see you, and I can't imagine she'd just stop by Atlas for a social call."

Weiss sighed. "Well… No. She didn't. She wanted to talk about Ruby."

"And how'd _that_ go?"

Weiss shrugged. "Better than expected. Nothing got broken, which is good, and no one died, which is better."

The Faunus raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? That doesn't sound like Yang. Are you sure there isn't another Yang we both know who looks exactly like mine?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Ha ha. Very funny."

Blake smiled. "I thought so. So what did you two talk about?"

"Like I said, she wanted to talk about Ruby, and why I… left."

"And what did you say?"

"I told her the truth. It sounded just as weak as when I told you… Just as selfish. But she seemed content with the explanation."

Blake nodded. Weiss had told her why she'd left long ago, though Blake had been sworn to secrecy. For a year, Blake had known, and refrained from judgement. She'd felt like she needed to be there for Weiss; Yang was _always_ going to side with Ruby. She had felt that Weiss' reasons for leaving were somewhat less than ideal, but she also knew—intimately—how emotions messed with people's heads; logic was rarely allowed a foot in the door—let along a say in proceedings—when it came to relationships.

"What did she say to you?" Blake asked.

Weiss gave her a sad, lop-sided smile. "She told me about Ruby…"

Blake sighed.

"How is she, Blake? Yang made it sound bad but…"

"She probably didn't exaggerate. It's… It's bad, Weiss."

Weiss nodded, sadness and guilt etched across her face.

"She never quite bounced back," Blake continued. "I mean, she got a little better after a few months, but she never quite got her… exuberance back. She _never_ talks about you, refuses to talk about any of our time at Beacon. Whenever anyone mentions you, or anything we did over the years, she either stares out the window, or at her pendant, until she starts crying, or just leaves the room."

Weiss looked down. Blake thought she could see tears brimming her friend's eyes and stopped. After a few seconds of silence, Weiss looked back up.

"I'm fine. Keep going."

Blake hesitated, and then nodded. "She takes missions almost every day. Anything. She'll take the most mundane extermination jobs—clearing Grimm out of Mountain Glenn or any of the surrounding villages, keeping the Grimm population of the forests low enough for students to go on training missions, anything at all—like she's just throwing herself into danger to avoid thinking about anything. Like whenever she has a moment to think, she always comes back to you. She's been doing it ever since you left, and I think she just can't deal with it any other way."

Weiss nodded again and her face suddenly disappeared from the screen before jolting back in. In the background, Blake thought she could hear the high-pitched whine of a airship engine.

"Where are you?" she asked. "Are you in an airship?"

Weiss looked at something off the screen for a moment before replying. "Yeah, I uh… I'm on my way to Mistral."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Mistral? Why?"

Weiss hesitated, then spoke in a hushed voice. "There's something going on in the company. Dust going missing, or so we think."

"We?"

"Neptune and I. He did some digging around for me when I saw some numbers in our shipping logs that made me a little suspicious."

"Is it serious?"

"We don't know. We don't know _anything_ yet. But we're going to find out." Weiss' sadness seemed to fade as she explained what she'd found, which relieved Blake. As bad as the new developments sounded, at least it was keeping Weiss from mulling over Ruby all the time.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Blake asked.

Weiss shook her head. "Neptune and I can take care of it. Although, you should probably keep an ear to the ground there. I didn't see anything suspicious on our logs for Vale, but you never know. If someone's up to no good in Mistral, there's a chance it might be in other kingdoms again."

Blake nodded. "I'll keep an eye out. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

Weiss nodded. "I'll keep you posted on the situation in Mistral as well. Actually, before I forget, Neptune told me to ask: have you heard from Sun recently?"

Blake shook her head, confused. "Sun? No. Not for a few weeks, maybe a month or so. Why?"

Weiss frowned. "Neptune said Sun up and left Mistral without a word to anyone and no one's heard from him since."

"That's odd…"

Weiss shrugged. "Sun can take care of himself. I'm sure he's alright, but maybe you could try and contact him? Just to make sure."

Blake nodded. "Yeah, definitely. I'll give him a call today; see if I can get in touch with him."

Weiss seemed to hesitate before opening her mouth. "Just… one more thing, before I go. Yang… suggested that me coming back to Vale might be… beneficial, but that I should do it gradually."

Blake nodded, but said nothing. Weiss clearly had something she was trying to get out, and the Faunus was smart enough to not interrupt.

"So, I was wondering… do you think it would alright if I called Ruby later today?"

Blake smiled. "I think she'd love that, Weiss."

Weiss' relieved smile was the most joyous look Blake had seen on her friend's face in over a year.

"I agree with Yang though," she continued. "It might be best to come back gradually. Ruby will probably want you to come straight back, but I feel like you two have some issues to sort out before you move back into her life completely."

Weiss nodded, still smiling. "That's fine. As long as I have a chance."

Blake smiled, feeling a little moved. She could see the love Weiss had for Ruby painted on her face, could hear it in her voice. A year apart had done nothing to dull the feelings they both had for each other. Something about seeing that resonated with Blake. They loved each other just as much as she and Yang did. The thought of Yang sent Blake's heart fluttering.

"Well, I'd better go," Weiss said. "I've got to… do some work before I get to Mistral."

Blake smiled. "Yeah, I've got some work to get to as well. I'll talk to you later? Let me know how things go with Ruby?"

Weiss smiled again. "Sure. I'll talk to you then."

"Good luck, Weiss"

Weiss nodded, still grinning, and ended the call. The screen flicked to black for a moment before the home screen reappeared on the screen.

Blake slumped back in her chair with a sigh and a grin. It was about time Weiss realised that she needed to come back. Both her and Ruby had been miserable ever since she'd left, but Weiss was so caught up in her rationalisations for leaving that she'd forced herself to stay as far from Ruby as she could get.

Blake shook her head with a quiet chuckle and tapped a few keys, bringing up her messages. She scrolled through for a second before stopping on one; the name of the sender stood out. _Violet Tanner. _Blake had talked to the girl before, but it seemed like she was still having problems. Violet was a cat Faunus, like Blake, and—even though Blake knew it was against the rules—she'd taken an extra liking to the girl.

Blake had thought about teaching at Beacon after graduation—Doctor Oobleck had recommended her for it, in fact—but the pressure of having people's education in her hands, the pressure of her teaching being something could save their lives one day, hadn't appealed to her. She'd wanted to be a teacher to help represent the Faunus in the Beacon faculty. Though she didn't blame any of the staff for the deficit, there were definitely less Faunus professors than human ones.

So, while Blake had decided to not be a teacher, she'd done the next best thing. She'd been hired on as a Faunus student councillor. She was there to be a voice of authority for Faunus students who felt insecure, threatened or intimidated while at Beacon. Her job was to give students a sympathetic ear, help resolve issues that were making life harder for the Faunus student body and, on occasion, she took groups of Faunus students out on training missions to let them spend time to meet and make friends with other Faunus—so they knew they weren't going through troubles alone.

Violet had been a recurring case for Blake over the last semester. Students in her class were repeatedly making her uncomfortable, making life generally harder for her. There had even been a case where she'd been put into danger on an excursion to Forever Fall because of their bullying. Blake was starting to get to the point where she'd have to crack down on the perpetrators, just to keep her safe. She knew that using her authority to force them to stop bullying her wouldn't solve the problem—they were teenagers after all—but Violet's safety had to come first.

Blake typed out a reply to Violet's message, telling her to stop by after she'd finished her classes for the day. They needed to sort something out. Whether they moved Violet to different streams for her classes, or… whatever; _something_ had to be done.

Just as Blake sent the message, as if on cue, the door to her office opened. Blake looked up, expecting Kelly to walk through the door, but was surprised to see Ruby instead.

Her surprise quickly changed to horror when she saw Ruby's face. She had a black eye, what looked like a broken nose and massive, purple bruises around her neck. Blake shot out of her chair in a heartbeat and ran towards Ruby.

"Gods! Ruby, what the hell happened to you? Are you okay?"

Ruby shrugged Blake's hand off her shoulder. "I'm fine, Blake, really. I went to the infirmary this morning, they said I should be fine in a week or so." Her voice sounded rough, like she was recovering from having lost it.

"What _happened_?"

"I…" Ruby hesitated and scratched her head. "It's kind of blurry. But I remember I saw someone getting chased by police last night. He got away from them, so I jumped in and tried to arrest him."

"And he did _this_!? Who was he?"

Ruby shrugged. "Dunno. Wasn't anyone I'd met before. I can't really remember what he looked like either. He must've really done a number on me…"

Blake blinked a few times, still shocked at Ruby's appearance. "I'll say. You look like hell, Sis."

Ruby smirked and rolled her eyes. "You've been spending too much time around Yang. I'm fine, really. Feel fit as a fiddle."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"_Yes!_ I'm fine, trust me."

The Faunus hesitated, then nodded. "Okay… Well, just make sure you get treated."

"I already _have_."

"Well go back in a few days. Yang will have my head if she finds out I let you get this beat up while she was away."

The bruised and battered woman laughed, an odd sound coming from her. "You'll have to do more than that to get Yang mad at you, you know that."

Blake smiled. "Yeah, I guess. Well, she won't be happy."

"Do you know when she's getting back?"

The concerned Faunus shrugged. "Probably later today, maybe tomorrow. So I'm screwed either way; no time for you to heal up."

Ruby smirked. "I'm sure you'll be fine. I feel for sorry for the guy who did it. When Yang gets her hands on him…"

"So I take it he got away?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow and pointed at her face. "What gave that away?"

Blake couldn't help but chuckle. "Good point. So do you remember anything about him? Anything we could use to track him down?"

Ruby shook her head. "Not really. It was dark, raining, I couldn't see him well to begin with. And everything's just… a mess. I can't remember many details. I'd probably recognise him if I saw him though."

Blake nodded. "Well let me know if you remember anything. I'll put a notice on the board."

Ruby nodded and looked out the window for a few seconds.

"So were you looking for anything?" Blake continued. "Or did you just stop by to see me?"

Ruby smiled. "As much as I enjoy your company, I did want to ask you something."

"Fire away."

"Have you seen Jaune around? I can't find him, and he's not answering any of my calls."

Blake frowned. "He's been out on a mission with Pyrrha for the last week or so. He didn't tell you he was leaving?"

Ruby shook her head.

"That's odd," Blake said with a frown. "Why did you want him? Going out on another mission?"

Ruby nodded. "I thought me might want to tag along…"

"Well Nora's gone with Yang, but Ren's still here. I'm busy this afternoon but, if you feel like waiting until tomorrow, I can go along with you then."

Ruby shook her head. "That's alright. I'll go and ask Ren; thanks though."

Blake nodded and watched as Ruby left without another word. She sighed and sat back at her desk. Ruby's façade was always a little painful to see. She smiled and joked and laughed, but all the while, Blake could see the pain hidden away. Ruby probably didn't know she was letting any of it out, but it was there.

She really did need Weiss back. Anything to help her break out of that shell she'd been building up over the year.

_Oh crap_, Blake thought. Weiss was going to call Ruby tonight… and Ruby looked like she'd just been beaten half to death. What was Weiss going to think? _Maybe I should call Weiss back and warn her... _

There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Blake called.

Kelly peeked her head into the room. Her light brown hair, with streak of green, framed her face, and her brown eyes were filled with a concerned wariness.

"Kelly! Good! You're back," Blake said with a smile.

Kelly smiled nervously. "Uh, Miss Belladonna, you have a visitor."

Blake raised an eyebrow. She didn't have anything scheduled. Who would be visiting her unannounced like this?

She waved a hand. "Let them in."

Kelly nodded and pushed the door the rest of the way open, letting the visitor in.

All thoughts of Weiss and Ruby were wiped from Blake's mind when she saw the man who entered the room. He was the single most impressive, yet intimidating man she'd ever seen. He was huge, taller than even Jaune, and covered in hulking, rippling muscle. He had shoulder length red hair and bright blue eyes, wore what looked like a large black shield strapped to his back and, perhaps his strangest quality, he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Blake Belladonna?" he asked. His voice was rough, harsh.

"That's me," Blake answered. "How can I help you?"

"Nice to finally meet you," the man said with a smile. "My name is Raud Geisa; I'm from Vacuo. I've come to speak to you about a…" He glanced at Kelly. "…sensitive matter."

Blake raised an eyebrow and nodded to Kelly, signalling that she should step outside. Raud watched her leave, and only once she was gone did he face Blake again.

"May I sit down?" he asked, pointing at the chair in front of her desk.

"Please," Blake replied. She switched off the holographic screen so they could see each other clearly across the desk.

Raud swung his shield off his back and leant it against the chair as he sat down. "My thanks."

"So what is this 'sensitive matter'?" Blake asked.

Raud took a breath and glanced around the room again before starting. "There are a group of officials in the government of Vacuo who have sent me here to both seek aid and lend it. They also send a warning: someone is smuggling Dust out of Vacuo, and we don't know who or why."

Blake perked up. Could this be related to what Weiss had told her about?

"We know very little, as a matter of fact," Raud continued. "They've covered their tracks incredibly well, which has led my… employers to believe that it's part of a conspiracy within the government. My employers are a small group of loyal officials and politicians, as well as trusted Huntsmen and Huntresses, who are seeking to get to the bottom of it and stop it. We don't know what these supposed conspirators are planning, but we know it can't be any good."

"You said Dust was being smuggled _out_ of Vacuo?" Blake asked.

Raud nodded. "That's right. That's why I'm here. They were afraid the Dust was being moved overland to Vale. They've found no evidence that would suggest that, so we might be chasing a red herring, but they sent me here to warn you just in case, and to lend any aid I can, should you need it."

Blake rubbed at her chin as she thought. It sounded too similar to what Weiss had mentioned; it couldn't be a coincidence. Speaking of coincidences…

"Why are you telling me this?" Blake asked. "If you're afraid something similar is happening here, how do you know I'm not part of the conspiracy?" She couldn't believe that someone would just _happen_ to tell her about another conspiracy not half an hour after hearing about one in Mistral.

Raud smiled. "I was given your name by a friend of yours, Sun Wukong." Blake raised an eyebrow. "I've spoken to no one else since I got here, and I'm not trusting anyone until I get your word that they're trustworthy."

"Sun sent you?" Blake asked.

Raud shrugged. "Not him specifically, but he's helping my employers investigate."

"Right…"

"You don't trust me?" Raud asked.

Blake shook her head. "I'm a little sceptical. I haven't heard from Sun in weeks; I find it strange that he'd send you without letting me know."

"Last I saw him, he was busy with his investigation. Maybe he didn't want to risk contacting anyone in case it got intercepted; we don't know who may be involved in this, or what means they have at their disposal."

Blake hesitated. It made sense…

"Alright," she said with a nod. "What do you know?"

"Like I said, very little. We don't know if anything is actually happening in Vale, but we should be on the lookout. Investigate Dust shipments to and from the city, check Dust stock levels in your city's warehouse. If there's any missing, or any more than there should, it could indicate something similar happening in Vale."

Blake nodded. "It's as good a starting point as any. Who else knows you're here?"

"Just you and your assistant."

"I doubt that," Blake said. "A man walking around with no shirt on like that? People will notice."

Raud shrugged. "I'm from Vacuo."

"I can tell," Blake sighed in resignation. There was nothing they could do about it now. "Have you got a place to stay in the city?"

Raud nodded. "I've rented a room in a hotel nearby."

"Good. You should probably head back for today. Though I'd recommend you walk around the city for a few hours, to try and get your bearings, learn the scenery."

"I've already started getting the lay of the land. When do we start the investigation?"

Blake thought for a few seconds. "Tomorrow, hopefully. My… partner is on her way back to Vale as we speak, and I have another friend going out on a mission this afternoon. When they get back tomorrow, we can fill them in on it and get their help."

Raud nodded. "Having more eyes will help, though I'd advise against telling too many people. The less people who know the secret, the less likely it is to get out."

Blake agreed. "I'll be careful, don't worry."

Raud got to his feet. "I'll take my leave then."

Blake nodded. "Come back here this time tomorrow. I'll have everyone I trust enough to help us waiting here."

"Until tomorrow, Miss Belladonna," Raud said with a bow. He left the room, treading strangely quietly for a man his size.

Blake watched the door for a few seconds, running over everything that had just happened. Everything seemed to have flipped on its head today: Yang was speaking to Weiss, Weiss was coming back, and all of a sudden, all four kingdoms could be involved in a vast conspiracy to gods knew what nefarious end.

Blake's feeling of unease was returning, and she couldn't help but feel that this had been the cause of it. Nothing had happened to bring the feeling about, so Blake had been convinced it was an oncoming threat; apparently she'd been right.

Blake sighed as she pressed a key on her scroll. Kelly walked in a moment later from her office across the hall and stood in front of Blake's desk, her face a mask of curiosity.

"What have I got planned over the next week, Kelly?" Blake asked. "We're going to have to shuffle some things around. I need to clear my schedule for the next few days."


	5. Talons on the Battlefield

They attacked in the late afternoon, with the sun behind them. They charged down the hill, towards the village, a hundred voices screaming war cries and profanity. Blades flashed in the sunlight, blinding the men and women—the residents of the village—who stood on the wall. Guns fired and bullets tore into both barricades and defenders alike.

A woman went down screaming as a bullet tore through her side. She fell to the ground in convulsions. A gurgling sound came out of her mouth; the bullet had hit her lung, and she was drowning in her own blood. Her face didn't show fear, only regret—regret that she'd died before the battle had truly begun. People ran to the wall to carry her away, but she would be dead well before they made it to the doctor.

A man watched as the woman was dragged away and whimpered as he squeezed rifle he held to his chest. He wanted to go to her, but knew he couldn't afford to leave the wall.

Another man shivered in fear as he watched the attackers approach. A small, yellow puddle was forming at his feet. For a moment he looked like he was about to run, but something seemed to harden his resolve and keep him in place.

A woman, seeing the men who'd killed her husband charging towards her, grinned. She looked bloodthirsty, eager for violence, pining for revenge.

A man fumbled and dropped a magazine as he tried to load his rifle.

A boy, no older than fourteen, dropped a pile of arrows into the dirt below.

A bow string snapped.

Steel sang as a blade cleared its sheath.

Defenders roared at the attackers, egging them on.

Some fired back, against orders, too eager for battle to care.

Jaune noticed all of this in an instant. The sword that sang was his; it left its sheath with a deadly hum. He peeked over the wall and waited. The attackers were coming faster than he'd expected. He'd never quite managed to remember how Faunus were different to humans; he remembered the night vision, but not much else.

He took a breath and hoisted his sword high. That was the signal. There was a loud cry from behind him and the sound of snapping rope. Large sacks were hurled over the wall, into the middle of the approaching attackers. The sacks hit the ground and exploded. The attackers unfortunate enough to be within range were engulfed in flames.

Jaune grimaced as he heard the first of the screams. He gripped his sword tighter; there was no turning back now. He raised his sword again and roared.

The defenders who were armed with firearms peeked over the wall as one and fired a volley of shots into the still-charging attackers. Men who stood below the walkway that ran around the wall fired a volley of arrows over the wall—there hadn't been enough guns to go around.

A man atop the wall screamed as a bullet pierced his neck. He dropped the rifle at his feet as he tumbled over the wall and landed on the outside. He didn't move.

Jaune roared for someone to pick up the fallen weapon and glanced over the wall again. The attackers started lobbing crystals as they charged. The Dust exploded on the face of the wall, sending bursts of flame over the parapets. There was a crew of Faunus approaching, further back in the enemy forces, carrying a large, metal container

_Time to go,_ Jaune thought. He signalled the retreat and waited until all his troops had reached the ground before following; he didn't want any of them to be on the wall when that container blew.

Jaune hit the ground running. He ran twenty metres back from the wall, screaming for everyone to get behind him. They formed a phalanx on either side of Jaune. All the defenders with swords or makeshift spears stood at the front of the line, and those with firearms or bows stood behind.

Jaune hefted his shield and knelt down, so that most of his body was covered. He forced himself to breathe slowly. People around him were panting frantically, beginning to panic—or give in to adrenaline. Jaune did his best to slow his heart rate; he needed to be thinking as clearly as he could.

People came from behind the phalanx and passed thick, wooden shields to those in the front line. They were too heavy to run around with, so they'd hold the line until they were ready to charge against the attackers, then drop the shields as they attacked.

They stood in an agonizing silence, waiting for the inevitable. There was no noise from the other side of the wall, which made it even worse.

Then the world trembled. A section of the wall, ten metres long, was suddenly blasted into the air. Jaune angled his shield so it covered his head as well and tightened his grip on the handle. Rocks and shrapnel pelted off it, pinging loudly to either side of him.

Then the bullets struck. Jaune's knees almost buckled from the sudden force as they hit his shield, but he held. He took a step forward, pushing against the almost constant force of pounding bullets. People around him screamed and went down. A second after the enemy opened fire, Jaune's troops sent their own bullets into the line of Faunus in front of them.

Jaune pushed forward slowly, and his front line followed. They edged towards the enemy, waiting for a lull in their fire. If they were smart, they'd have two teams of riflemen—one to fire while the other reloaded—but Jaune was hoping they weren't that smart.

The longer the bullets struck his shield, the more that hope died. He felt a bullet hit his foot and winced. His aura stopped the bullet from piercing him, but he'd have a bruise at least—maybe a fracture. He peeked around his shield; they were less than ten metres from the enemy line now, and enemy soldiers were approaching with their own swords bared.

Jaune grinned. _Bad mistake. _The best hope they had was to keep Jaune's troops pinned with gunfire until they could flank their line. Engaging them in close-quarters combat? They wanted to fight _Jaune_ with swords? _Well I won't stop them_, he thought with a small chuckle.

His smile died as the man to his right went down, a bullet tearing into his calf. Jaune grimaced and gritted his teeth in anger. _Time to finish this. _

Jaune threw himself forward and swung his shield forward. He felt a jolt as it slammed into an enemy's face, then brought it to his side—out of the way of his sword—and cut the man down. Jaune stepped over the body and raised his shield as another man lunged at him. He angled the shield upwards and pushed as the sword struck it. The attacker reeled backwards as his sword was suddenly pushed back over his shoulder, leaving his side exposed. Jaune made the most of the vulnerability, and the man fell in a silent heap on the ground.

The defending troops rushed forward, following Jaune's lead. They pushed the first wave of attackers back, and gave Jaune some breathing room. He glanced around, surveying the situation quickly.

There looked to be around seventy attackers left, and only around thirty defenders. _Not good._ They'd been outnumbered to begin with, and their early casualties had only widened the gap. He needed to do something, fast.

Jaune threw himself forward and threw his shield in the way of a sword blow that would have killed a woman who stood to Jaune's right. She nodded in gratitude as Jaune shoved the attacker—a Faunus with the yellow eyes of a wolf—back a few paces.

"Get back into the village," Jaune yelled to her over the din of battle. "Tell them to send up the flares, _now_!"

The woman nodded and fled.

_That's all I can do for now,_ Jaune thought grimly as he swung at the wolf Faunus. _Now all we can do is wait._

The wolf Faunus ducked the swing and lunged for Jaune's right side, but Jaune managed to bring his shield across in time. He was unbalanced now, his sword in the air and his shield held across his body, so Jaune spun to his right while stepping to the left. He swung the shield around as he spun and slammed it into the Faunus' side, sending him sprawling. Jaune slashed down with his sword, severing the man's hamstring, and sent a fist crashing into his temple. The man went limp.

Jaune heard a high-pitched whine and glanced upwards. Two bright red flares were hanging in the air over the village. A good sign.

Jaune caught an oncoming blow at the last second and dragged his attention back to the battle. There was nothing else he could do for the moment.

The battle raged on. Jaune gradually brought his troops back towards the village. He had a small team lobbing Burn Dust crystals into the enemy's lines, which caused enough of a distraction to give them room to breathe as they pulled back. He wasn't sure if it would kill any of them, though he saw a few go down from well-aimed throws, but it certainly caused havoc in their lines.

They crossed a small trench, lined with pikes, and turned to face the enemy. The attackers were more cautious now. They knew they had Jaune on the back foot; they had all the time in the world. They could see their number advantage, and knew it was only a matter of time before the remaining defenders tired.

Jaune looked over the wall as a green flare went up, behind the enemy lines. He grinned and called for more Dust crystals to be lobbed over; the enemy needed to be distracted. As the Dust exploded around them, the attackers formed ranks and opened fire on Jaune's line. The Dust throwers ducked behind the line of shields.

Half a minute later, there was a loud cry from the enemy ranks, and the Faunus turned to face their rear. Jaune grinned as confusion spread through the enemy. He ordered the last of their Dust to be thrown at once—for as big an explosion as possible—and gave the order for the rest of his makeshift army to charge.

They hit the enemy while most of them had their backs turned; only the front line was still facing Jaune. They smashed into the line in a spearhead formation, forced a gap open and charged in. Jaune led the way, cutting at anything that moved in front of him. The enemy floundered, still in a state of confusion. Those who managed to realise that Jaune was in their midst were instantly cut down.

Jaune reached the middle of the enemy's group and saw their reinforcements for the first time. He knew they were coming, the green flare had been the signal that they were about to attack, but he was glad to finally see them. The leader of the reinforcement group smashed through the enemy ranks and reached the centre at the same time as Jaune.

Jaune couldn't help but feel relieved at the sight. The leader of the reinforcements smiled at him and blocked an oncoming sword stroke before cutting down the attacker.

"About time, Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled.

The tall, red-haired Huntress rolled her eyes. "You seemed to be handling things just fine."

Jaune grinned as he slashed a charging bull Faunus. "Good to have you here anyway!"

Pyrrha grinned wickedly. "When is it not?"

It was Jaune's turn to roll his eyes. He opened his mouth to respond, but the enemy seemed to have regained their bearings and were turning to face the pair. Humour vanished from Jaune's face. It was time to work. He and Pyrrha stood back to back, shields and swords at the ready.

The enemy attacked at once. Jaune blocked one attack with his shield and one with his aura. He heard Pyrrha grunt with effort behind him and a whole wave of attackers lurched back as their weapons were nearly torn from their grips.

Jaune and Pyrrha made the most of the distraction, lunging into the fray before they could recover. Blood soaked the ground and cries filled the air. Jaune saw glimpses of Pyrrha's red hair as she moved, a flashing blur of death. Her sword lashed out, so fast as to be almost invisible, and men fell. Jaune blocked a few attacks that came at her blind side, and cut down the attackers.

Jaune panted heavily as the fight wore on. He could see the enemy beginning to falter, fear filling their eyes, and he grinned. That seemed to put them off even more, which was rather the point. He let out a vicious war cry and threw himself into a pack of Faunus, trusting his aura to protect him.

Rather than turning to attack, the enemy broke rank and started to flee. Once one of them ran, the rest seemed to take it as a signal and chased their comrade. The more bloodthirsty of the defenders tried to chase them, but Jaune and Pyrrha held them back. Jaune watched the enemy flee—their numbers reduced to about thirty—until they disappeared back over the hill they'd attacked from.

Jaune turned to Pyrrha with a smile. She grinned back as she sheathed her sword and hung her shield on her back. Jaune collapsed his shield and sheathed his sword before hanging it at his belt. They fell into each other's arms, both panting heavily from the battle, but relieved enough to see each other that they didn't care.

"You left the signal a little late," Pyrrha said in a disapproving tone when they pulled apart.

Jaune shrugged. "We were handling it."

Pyrrha cocked an eyebrow. "Is that right?"

Jaune turned towards the battlefield, ignoring Pyrrha's pointed look. "We should see to the wounded."

"Maybe not…" Pyrrha muttered.

Jaune shot her a questioning look, but she was looking past him. He followed her gaze and saw the leader of the village approaching them with a wide grin on his face.

"Victory!" the man cried, holding his hands in the air as if crying to the heavens. "We have won the day!"

Jaune frowned.

"Not without cost," Pyrrha said in a disapproving tone. The man was standing in a field of his fallen neighbours, and didn't seem to bat an eyelid.

"Of course," he said, looking out over the battleground. "But now we are rid of these barbarians, and can return to our work."

"They didn't seem like barbarians," Jaune cut in. "They seemed very well equipped, if not as well trained."

Pyrrha nodded. "They had Burn Dust crystals and a Dust bomb. They might have been stealing Dust from you, but they could only have stolen unrefined ore. They were getting Dust from somewhere else as well."

The leader frowned. "As long as we are rid of them, I care not from whence they came, nor for whom they work."

"Well, _we_ do," Pyrrha said. "If they are part of a larger group, we need to find out who, and if they're raiding any other mining villages in the area."

"Alas," the man said. "I fear that all of our foes are either dead or fled, and we shall get no information out of them."

Jaune shook his head. "I knocked one out earlier. He should still be lying around."

The leader nodded. "Well you are welcome to him, of course. If you would excuse me, I must see to the people. There are funerals to be held, and repairs to be made to the village, before we can get back to work."

Jaune and Pyrrha watched as the man walked back to the village.

"I don't like him," Jaune said.

"I couldn't tell," Pyrrha replied with a smirk.

Jaune smiled briefly. "It just… he just seems to not care about people. What kind of leader doesn't care for those he leads?"

Pyrrha glanced at the retreating from of the man in question. "Those who are given the position, rather than earn it. Those who covet the power, rather than accept it. Power corrupts, Jaune."

"I know, I know," Jaune said. "Let me know if I ever start turning into… _that._"

Pyrrha laughed. "Of course. I'll beat you back into shape myself."

Jaune blanched. "On second thought, can we let Ren do it?"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and planted a kiss on Jaune's cheek. "Come on, fearless leader. Let's go and find this prisoner of yours."

Jaune's good humour faded quickly as they waded through the field of the dead. Most of them were enemies, either killed by his own sword, or by his order. The others were villagers, who had died under his command. He felt the weight of all those deaths; he _always_ did. Pyrrha had told him it was a good thing for a leader: once he stopped caring, then they knew he had a problem. But that never made him feel any better about it.

They found the Faunus Jaune had knocked out within a few minutes, lying underneath the fallen corpse of a female bear Faunus. Jaune grimaced as they moved the corpse off the man and checked if he was still breathing. He seemed in surprisingly good shape for an unconscious body on a battlefield; he was still alive, which was a good start.

Jaune started searching the man's pockets. Pyrrha pulled out her scroll and stepped away, calling for their pick up. The airship that had brought them here had flown Pyrrha's troops away the night before, in preparation for the battle, and had stayed out of sight throughout the day, lest the enemy suspect they were up to something. Jaune heard the radio-filtered voice of the pilot say he'd be there within twenty minutes and sighed in relief. He wanted to go home.

There was nothing of any interest in the Faunus' pockets, but there was a small, emblazoned armband on his upper arm. It was too small to notice on the battlefield, but now that Jaune looked around, all of the enemy wore them.

It was pure white and had a black emblem: the head of an eagle, beak open, and three black slashes behind the head. Jaune narrowed his eyes at the sight. It was too similar to the emblem of the White Fang to be a coincidence—in fact, it was almost exactly the same, but coloured black rather than red, and with the head of an eagle instead of a wolf…

Jaune sighed. _The Black Talon._

The White Fang had been disbanded two years prior—their leaders had been arrested and the followers forced to stand down—but not six months later, another Faunus terrorist group had sprung out of the woodwork: the Black Talon.

Whereas the White Fang had at least given the impression of wanting to help the Faunus—they had attacked companies who used Faunus labour and fought for the equality that so many Faunus had prayed for—the Black Talon just attacked indiscriminately. They never delivered messages, never issued demands. They would simply appear in an area; attack, destroy and pillage until they were satisfied; and then leave. No one had found out what they were after, but an open bounty had been posted for any information on any members of the group.

Now they had a member of the group, alive. Jaune sat back with a sigh and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Pyrrha walked back and stood next to him. She gave Jaune a questioning look, and he pointed at the armband.

She frowned, glanced around, and, after confirming that the other corpses wore the same band, knelt down beside Jaune.

"We need to take him back with us," she muttered.

Jaune nodded. "We can't let any information he has slip away. We don't know _anything_ about the Talon, let alone why they were attacking the village."

Pyrrha got to her feet and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. She cuffed the unconscious man's hand behind his back and picked him up.

"Come on," she said. "The airship is going to pick us up outside the village."

Jaune glanced at the village. People were crying, sobbing, comforting one another, moving bodies, or clearing rubble. He wanted to help. He couldn't stand seeing people suffer like this; every fibre of his being cried out for him to help them.

But he knew they needed to get back to Vale. The information their prisoner had could be the key to stopping things like this from happening again.

Jaune sighed. "Just… give me a minute. Let me go and say goodbye."

Pyrrha nodded and set their still unconscious prisoner on the ground. Jaune walked back into the village, waving to people as they met his gaze, or offering a reassuring smile. The leader of the village spotted him and approached.

"We can manage from here, good sir," he said to Jaune. "We are most appreciative of your aid, but I think we'd best take care of everything from here."

Jaune looked around at the people around him. They were listening to the exchange and nodding solemnly. Miners were always hard people; they had to be. Dust mines were dangerous, and anyone could die at any time. They were used to death, perhaps more than anyone.

Jaune nodded, realising that they _could_ handle it. They didn't need his help. They wanted to mourn amongst themselves, to rebuild with their own hands.

"We'll send some troops from Vale," he said to the village leader. "In case any of them should come back."

The man nodded. "That would be most appreciated, though I doubt they will after the beating we gave them."

Jaune gave the man a weak, lopsided smile. "I'll send them all the same, just in case. They can set up camp outside the village. They won't get in the way, or intrude; they'll just watch the surrounding areas and defend if need be."

The man nodded. "My thanks again."

Jaune hesitated, still torn by the urge to help the village more than he had. It felt like he'd done nothing but arrive, order people around, and get them killed. But no one gave him a bitter look. No one blamed him for the deaths of their friends and family. They all seemed grateful; they smiled and thanked him. _I guess that'll have to do…_

He nodded at the leader and turned away. Pyrrha smiled as he approached.

"You ready to go?" she asked as she hoisted the prisoner onto her shoulder again.

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go home."


	6. A Day in the Office

Ruby bared her teeth as Crescent Rose sliced through flesh. She was a lethal blur of rose petals and falling limbs; she tore through Grimm as fast as they arrived and left a pile of corpses in her wake. Beowolves, Ursa and Boarbatusks piled up on top of one another and slowly faded away as Ruby moved on.

She drowned herself in the slaughter, revelled in it. This was what she'd been born for; the only thing she was _really_ good at. Even from her first days at Beacon, it had been the same: too awkward to make friends, but lethal in a fight. She hadn't started to break out of her shell until she became friends with—

Ruby gritted her teeth and threw herself at a pair of Ursai—only Minors. She focussed on the movement of her blade, the swing of the monsters' claws, and the sound of more closing in. She couldn't afford to think; couldn't afford to be distracted.

An Ursa paw—removed from its previously attached arm—flew past her and she spun. She swung Crescent Rose with a burst of her semblance and—with the force of the blow multiplied by the burst of speed—cut through both Ursai. Their aggressive roars cut off abruptly as they were hewn in half.

She vaulted over the corpses and spun around. There was a group of four Beowolves approaching. The dead Ursai acted as a small hurdle for them; not enough to slow them for long, but enough to give Ruby a second's respite.

She reloaded Crescent Rose and chambered a round. As the Beowolves leapt over the corpses, Ruby fired. Two of the Beowolves—younger than the others, with less armour—toppled to the ground when bullets tore through their skulls. Ruby fired behind her and spun as she was pushed forwards. Crescent Rose sang as it cut through the air in a vicious whirlwind, effortlessly tearing through the Beowolves.

As the last Beowolves fell, the area went quiet, but for the sound of Ruby's panting. She leant on Crescent Rose and closed her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. After almost an hour of non-stop combat, she could feel her legs starting to give out underneath her. She needed a break, even if only for ten minutes, then she could go on.

Her knees buckled and Ruby slumped to the ground. Crescent Rose fell to the ground next to her with a thud. Ruby leant back, opening up her lungs, and sucked in a deep breath of air. She looked up at the canopy of trees above her. The orange light of the slowly setting sun was mixing with the green of the Emerald Forest, and casting a strange glimmer on the forest floor. The boughs swayed back and forth in the breeze. The leaves rustled quietly.

A twig snapped.

Ruby whipped her head towards the noise and grabbed Crescent Rose. Ren was standing not five metres away, guns in hand. Ruby shot to her feet and gave him a questioning look. Ren nodded his head, his eyes looking over Ruby's shoulder. She turned around, and gasped.

The black head of a King Taijitu was hovering inches away from her face, completely silent. Before Ruby could even blink, it lunged.

Fangs streaked towards her, and Ruby flung herself to the side. She felt one of the fangs graze past her leg, but her aura protected her. She winced in pain as she hit the ground; there was a bruise on her side from her battle the night before, and it had been keeping her on the back foot all day.

She looked around as she got to her feet, but the white head was nowhere to be seen. Ruby turned her attention back to the black one. Ren was charging towards it as it continued its lunge, firing both guns at its eyes. Bullets bounced off the snake's thick hide and skittered off into the woods. One round hit its left eye; it reared up and hissed in pain before focussing its next attack on Ren.

Ren leapt upwards as the Taijitu attacked, spun over its head—firing all the while—and landed near the base of a tree. He ran straight up the trunk of the tree for at least five metres and jumped. He landed on the snake's back as it pulled back from its previous attack and stabbed the blade of one of his guns into the eye he had hit. The snake flailed and Ren was thrown off its back, landing lightly on a branch of a tree.

Ruby glanced around again, searching for the other head, but—again—found nothing. She froze as she heard something behind her. Not a loud noise. Not even really a noise. It was more like the hint of a noise. A feeling that something had shifted behind her. Without thinking, she spun and fired.

The bullet hit one of the top fangs of the white Taijitu head, shattering it. The snake reared back and flailed in pain. Ruby fired at the ground as she jumped and swung Crescent Rose at the monster's head. In the course of its erratic flailing, the snake managed to dodge Ruby's swing and—a second later—smack her in the side. She was sent sailing through the air and slammed painfully into a tree. She cried out as a flash of pain lanced down her side, then winced quietly as the cry tore at her still-tender throat.

Ruby managed to orient herself as she fell and landed in a crouch. The Taijitu seemed to have recovered from its fit of pain and was turning to face her once again. Crescent Rose roared in Ruby's hands and blood filled the air as bullets tore through its scaled hide. It lunged despite the barrage of gunfire, fangs poised, and Ruby spun to the side, swinging Crescent Rose.

The blade vanished into the snake's mouth as it passed and hooked into soft flesh therein. As soon as Ruby felt the scythe tug in her hands—as the Taijitu threatened to yank it from her grasp—she heaved on it. She took off at a run as the blade cut through the monster, dragging the scythe behind her.

The blade cut along the snake for at least ten metres before Ruby came to a stop. She looked back and had to wince at what she saw. The white head off the Taijitu had been sliced in half along its flank. However the monster had thrashed in its death throes had unfolded it, and Ruby could see the insides of the snake from where she stood all the way to its mouth.

She shuddered at the sight and turned away. Ren was still fighting the other head, but seemed to be handling himself. Ruby rushed over to help, but before she took two steps, the ground began to tremble.

She stumbled and fell to one knee. She glanced around, suddenly afraid that a Goliath had arrived. The trees shook violently, their boughs whipping back and forth, and Ruby felt her heart rise into her throat. The two of them wouldn't be able to fight a Goliath alone. She glanced towards Ren, opening her mouth to shout a warning.

He seemed unfazed by the sudden trembling. Ren was still leaping back and forth, firing at the snake all the while. He never stayed on the ground, or on a branch of a tree, for longer than a heartbeat; the violent quaking simply didn't have time to affect him.

He was concentrating his fire on the plates of armour on the Taijitu's head; Ruby saw several chunks of the white plating break free. She got to her feet as she called Ren's name, but it was all she could do to remain upright.

Not that Ren needed the help. He kicked off the trunk of a tree and soared towards the snake as it reared in pain. He'd planned his jump so that he approached from the snake's blinded side. He raised both of his guns behind his head and brought them down on the top of the Taijitu's head. The blades pierced the weakened and cracked armour and the monster stiffened.

The trembling was weakening, and Ruby was beginning to relax. If a Goliath were the cause of the quake, they would have seen it by now. Though it did make her wonder what _had_ caused it… Earthquakes were rare in Vale. Not unheard of, but rare. She shook her head; now wasn't the time. She took a step forward and, when she managed to keep her footing, took off at a run towards Ren.

The Taijitu toppled over and hit the ground with a loud thud. It didn't move. Ren's blades had apparently pierced its brain. He tugged the blades from the dead monster's head and closed his eyes.

Ruby came to a stop next to the fallen monster and waited. Ren had always been better than her at detecting nearby enemies. After a few seconds of silent contemplation, Ren slid his guns into his sleeves and opened his eyes. The trembling stopped completely as he jumped off the corpse of the Taijitu and turned towards Ruby.

"Clear," he said.

Ruby sighed and collapsed Crescent Rose. She hooked it onto her belt as she looked up at the sky. The sky was turning a dark red; they didn't have much daylight left, and even Ruby didn't like the idea of being in the Emerald Forest at night.

"We should probably head back," Ruby said.

Ren nodded, but didn't move. "We should rest first. There might be more on the way back."

Ruby glanced around as she considered. It was a good idea—she could use a breather—and if Ren had suggested it, then there were no Grimm around for miles. She looked back at Ren and nodded. They found a comfortable-looking tree and slumped to the ground under its shade.

Ruby leant her head against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes. She let out a sigh and sucked in a deep breath. She'd agreed to a break, but the faster they recovered, and left, the sooner they'd be safe. And the sooner she'd get away from Ren's questioning, judgemental eyes.

It had started as soon as she'd asked him to come with her. He'd given her a bland look, a raised eyebrow, and a nod, but Ruby could see a glint of… something… in his eyes. Like he… pitied her. She'd seen it, but gritted her teeth and ignored it.

He'd agreed to come along, but Ruby had felt that he was only there to watch her. The Grimm had all seemed of little consequence. Well… _everything_ seemed of little consequence to Ren, but he'd seemed even more apathetic than usual. The feeling of his eyes on her back angered her a little. She didn't need a babysitter. Whenever Jaune came with her, there was a sense of camaraderie; they fought together, watching each other's backs. With Ren, it just felt like he was there to… well… babysit.

She glanced over at him. He was sitting next to her, not a foot away, with his legs crossed and eyes closed. His breathing was as calm as if he'd been sitting there for hours, as if the last few hours of combat had done nothing to him. That irked Ruby a little. _He _had suggested a break, but _clearly _didn't need it. What was he trying to say? That he thought Ruby needed one when he didn't? Did he think she wasn't good enough to keep up with him?

Apparently no one thought she was good enough for anything these days. Blake and Yang were always worrying over her. Ren's eyes filled with pity_—pity—_whenever he saw her. Nora… well… Nora was… Nora. Jaune was the only who genuinely treated Ruby like she was capable. Pyrrha at least pretended, but Ruby knew that was for Jaune's sake more than hers.

Somewhere along the line, everyone had stopped believing in her. And that tore Ruby up inside. They'd trusted her all through their time at Beacon, let her call the shots. She was their _leader_. Even if the teams had been disbanded, they should know that she was still capable of being the leader. Most teams stayed together for missions for that very reason! They grew to trust each other, and their leader, so they decided to tackle missions as a team.

When they'd first graduated, that was how it had started. And it was perfect. It was all Ruby had ever dreamed of. She was a Huntress, leading her team into battle. She went on missions outside the kingdom with her best friends, going on adventures and protecting the weak and the innocent. Those were the happiest months of her life…

Then Weiss left.

Just like that, everything changed.

Ruby's breath caught as she remembered. She propped her arms on her knees, hung her head forward and closed her eyes.

_"Weiss…? What's going on? Where are you going?"_

_"I… I'm going to Atlas."_

_"What for? Did something happen? Do we have a mission?"_

_"No… I'm just… going back."_

_"Oh… Do you want me to come with you?"_

_"No, Ruby… You have to stay here. I'm going alone."_

_"When will you be back?"_

_"I'm not coming back."_

_"… what?"_

Ruby choked back a sob and winced as it hurt her throat. She felt a flash of anger as she was reminded of the beating she'd taken the night before, how she'd almost died. Here she was trying to convince her friends that she was capable enough to take care of herself, while she was coloured black and blue. She shot a glance at Ren, but he was still meditating. He hadn't heard her choke. Tears welled up in her eyes as Weiss' voice rang in her ears again.

_"I said I'm not coming back, Ruby… I… I'm sorry. But I can't be with you anymore."_

Ruby dashed away her tears, winced as she accidentally nudged her nose—even if it didn't look deformed, her nose was definitely broken—and did her best to push Weiss' voice away. She got to her feet and turned to Ren.

"Come on," she said. "We should get back."

Ren slowly opened his eyes and met her gaze. He didn't stand. He just gazed at her silently.

"Ruby, why are we out here?"

Ruby blinked, unsure of what to say. "Because the city put in a request for Grimm to be cleared out…"

Ren shook his head. "_Anyone_ could have done this. Why did it have to be _us_?"

"_You_ didn't have to come."

"And let you come out here alone? Not likely."

"Then what're you talking about? You _wanted_ to come."

"No, I didn't. But I knew that you'd come anyway, even if I stayed."

Ruby crossed her arms. "So? Is there something wrong with wanting to help people?"

The dark-haired Huntsman sighed. "No, there's not. But there _is_ a problem with putting yourself in unnecessary danger _all the time_ and then claiming it's all for the greater good."

"What're you talking about? That's what Huntsmen and Huntresses _do_! We fight so that other people don't have to. We fight to protect the people who _can't_ fight! If no one else wants to help me do it, then I'll do it alone!"

"We want to help you, Ruby. But we don't want to _have_ to."

Anger flashed in Ruby's eyes. "And what do you mean _'have to'_ help me!? Does no one think I'm good enough to take care of myself? I can do this, Ren! You_ know_ I can. _Everyone _knows I can."

Ren got to his feet with a look almost as intense as her glare. "We know you can, but you're working yourself too hard. And we know that, at this rate, there's going to be a day when you don't come back, and that _terrifies_ us."

Ruby scoffed. "Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence. It sure feels like you all believe in me."

"We do—"

"Then _trust_ me! I'm fine!"

"Ruby, you are _not_ fine! Have you seen your face today? I don't know what happened, and I'm not going to ask if you don't want to tell me, but you look like hell. I've _never_ seen you beaten this bad before; you're clearly not at full fighting capability."

The furious Huntress opened her mouth to retort, but the Huntsman cut her off.

"So, no, you're not okay. You're not 'fine'. We've seen you when you're okay, when you're happy. We grew up with you being happy. We went through Beacon together, and you were happy all the while. You haven't been happy ever since Weiss left!"

Ruby flinched as if he had struck her. "That's not fair—"

Now Ren looked angry. "'Not fair?' Ruby, what _you're_ doing isn't fair! Yang and Blake might never say it, Jaune might be too kind to, but _I_ will. You're hurting us just as much as you're hurting yourself."

"What're you talking about? I'm not doing anything!"

"No, you _are_. And there must be some part of you that knows that."

Like an cowering animal, back into a corner, Ruby shrunk away from Ren's accusatory tone. "I… I'm just doing my job."

Ren shook his head. "You did your job before Weiss left. You went on missions with your team. You took _rests_. You didn't throw yourself from one life-threatening situation to the next, without any time to recover, just to keep Weiss out of your head."

"That's not…"

"It _is_," His voice was ice, cold and unrelenting. "And we all know it. You're upset that Weiss left—heartbroken—we get that. We can understand. We can sympathise. Hell, we can _help._ But you never let us. Ever since she left, you've just bottled everything up and spent your days _killing_. Does that sound like a healthy way to deal with a heartbreak?"

Her eyes fell to her feet. She didn't know what to say, though that was enough of an answer.

"Exactly," Ren continued. "And while it's good that you at least ask us to come along, is it really fair to make us spend _every day_ looking out for you? I know Jaune is always willing to come with you, and I'm happy to come along whenever he can't, but don't you think he wants to spend time with his _wife_?"

The young Huntress nodded, but said nothing.

"The only time they spend alone together is when they go on their own missions. It's putting a strain on their relationship, Ruby. Do you want to be the reason, if indirectly, why Jaune and Pyrrha fall out?"

Ruby shook her head. Tears were welling up in her eyes again. She _knew_ all this; she'd seen Pyrrha and Jaune arguing. She'd just pushed it all aside, convinced herself that protecting the city was more important.

"It might not be obvious when you look at her," Ren continued. "But Nora worries about you too. She asks me every night—every _single_ night—if you're okay, and when you'll get better. And, for the first time in my life, I don't know what to say to her. And Yang and Blake… They're your _sisters_. They care about your well-being as much as any of us, if not more. They love you more than you'd realise, Ruby, because you're too wrapped up in this spiral of self-pity to notice."

"Yang left too…" Ruby muttered.

"She left on a _mission_ because we _made her_! She was tearing herself apart worrying about you. All of us could see that she was reaching a breaking point, so we sent her away. Blake manages it better, but she's just as bad, and she couldn't deal with worrying about both you _and_ Yang all the time. It's putting its own strain on _their_ marriage as well. You can't keep putting them through this, Ruby."

A single, solitary tear dropped from her nose as she nodded.

"I don't want to sound harsh, here," Ren's voice softened. "I care about you too, but someone needed to say _something_. You can't keep doing this. We all know what you're doing and why, and we all know it's not good for you. You need to rest. You need to talk to someone—and it doesn't have to be me—but this isn't how you deal with emotions like these. Let us help you."

Ruby looked up and met Ren's gaze. He was smiling. All trace of anger was gone, replaced by a gentle care, and love. She wanted to smile back, wanted to nod, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I… I'll try," she muttered. She wasn't sure if she was lying or not.

He seemed to take it at face value and nodded. "That's all I ask."

Ruby took a deep breath and nodded.

Ren reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "You do look like hell though."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up."

She stormed past him, towards the city, a smile tugging at her lips. Ren laughed as he followed her. He caught up quickly and walked alongside her back to Vale. They heard Grimm occasionally as they trekked through the forest, but none of them attacked, so Ruby ignored them. She knew what Ren would say if she dove into another fight right after his lecture, and she wasn't going to deal with that.

They entered Vale as the sun hit the horizon. Ren offered to walk Ruby home, but she turned him down, telling him she needed some time to think. He watched her walk away, a concerned look on his face, but said nothing. She glanced back as she turned the corner and saw him finally turning away.

A sigh escaped her as she lost sight of Ren. His words rang in her ears, mocking her. She knew he was right: she couldn't keep depending on everyone so much, it was unfair on all of them. A getaway, a mission abroad, that was what she needed. Yang would be home tonight or tomorrow, and Ruby really didn't want to explain what had happened to her, and why she was so battered. A few days out of the city—alone, not depending on anyone—sounded wonderful.

She nodded to herself as she passed a small bakery, the owner closing up his shop. He called out to her—she came by frequently and often ate there—but she didn't even hear him. After watching her walk past in awkward silence, hand raised in greeting, he shrugged and turned back to his work.

The sky was beginning to darken when Ruby reached her apartment. No one crossed her path as she entered the building and made her way up to the top floor, and for that she was grateful.

The last light of the day shone in her window, painting everything in the room a bloody orange. A dull throbbing started in Ruby's side as she stepped inside. Maybe Ren was right, and she needed some rest, but Ruby was too determined to let a _bruise_ slow her down.

_Tomorrow,_ she thought, _I'll leave. I'll find a mission, and I'll go._

That way, she couldn't depend on anyone. No one would have to put up with her. She wouldn't get in between any couples, or ruin any relationships. People could get on with their lives. Everyone would be happier.

Ruby hung Crescent Rose up and slumped onto the lounge in her living room. A holographic screen snapped into life on the wall as she sat down and showed a news anchor talking about some dull, boring current event in Vacuo. Something about a kidnapping, nothing important. Ruby blocked it out.

She pulled out her scroll.

Huntsmen and Huntresses had a simple system of work once they graduated. Some became teachers, some did research, but most became freelancers of a sort. There was an application on every Huntsmen or Huntresses' scroll that showed them a list of available jobs, or other requests. One could scroll through it, find one that sounded interesting, fun, or whatever other criteria one used to choose jobs, and volunteer for it.

All jobs had a reward posted for payment upon completion. Easier ones payed less; harder, more dangerous jobs payed more. It was encouraged to go on harder jobs with partners, or teams, and the larger rewards were split equally.

There were requests for anything from hunting down the leader of a criminal organisation, or protecting a village far away that was under Grimm attack, to things like clearing Grimm from the surrounding forests. Anything that could require a Huntsman or Huntress was posted on the Board, as it was called.

Ruby slipped her scroll out of her pocket to check the Board—she needed to find a job that was at least a few days away from Vale—and was surprised to see a small, yellow light flashing on the surface of the closed scroll. There was no reason anyone would have called her; every one of her friends who was in Vale had known where she was all day, and none of the others had returned yet.

She opened the scroll with a sigh and checked the caller ID.

People say that when someone is surprised enough, their heart will 'skip a beat'. They say it's an uncomfortable, sometimes painful, experience that only occurs when someone is confronted with a potentially life-changing event, or emotional upheaval, out of the blue. 'Skipping a beat' is an apt description for what most people experience in such a situation, but it requires that the heart quickly start beating again.

Ruby's heart stopped entirely.

For at least a second, maybe two, nothing moved. So it hurt like hell when it kicked in again. She gasped in a painful mix of physical pain, shock and a sudden wave of emotional turmoil, then dropped her scroll.

She scrambled back, leaning into the back of the couch, as she stared at the scroll. It couldn't be true, she knew that. It had to be some kind of joke, and a sick one at that, or a hallucination. There was no way… But the possibility of it being real made her crawl over and pick up the scroll again, to double check.

There it was again.

_One missed call. Weiss Schnee._


	7. An Affectionate Homecoming

It was late, but Blake was still in her office. Her eyelids were starting to droop now and then and she'd caught herself nodding of more than once. She should've gone home by now, she knew that, but she couldn't bring herself to stop.

She'd spent the afternoon talking to Violet, trying to find a way to sort out the girl's problems in class. It hadn't been easy, but they'd managed to devise a possible solution to it all. Some classes had been swapped around, for both Violet and a few of her Faunus friends, and Blake had sent a warning message to all the faculty, telling them to be on guard if the bullies from Violet's old class were seen around her or her friends.

It was a simple idea, but Violet had seemed much more at ease when she'd left—which made it worthwhile in the end. Hopefully the girl would get some peace now, and be able to focus on her studies without being afraid.

As soon as the girl had left, Blake had begun searching through reports and manifests on the city's Dust stores. She'd searched through Vale's import and export documentation, trying to find any discrepancies between them and the actual Dust stock within in the city.

She'd come up with nothing.

It had taken her hours to read through all the lists of shipments, deliveries and storages and compare them all, and she'd found absolutely nothing. Everything seemed normal. They had been having a small deficiency in Dust over the last few months—something to do with the surrounding mines not being able to fill quotas—but they still had enough to get by, and every grain of Dust that came in or went out was accounted for.

Blake found herself beginning to doubt Raud's story. Not the authenticity of the man himself—he'd seemed very sincere in his warnings and offers of help—but she was beginning to doubt that anything was actually happening in Vale. The man that had attacked Ruby still concerned her, but there was no evidence to suggest a government conspiracy or any thefts of Dust.

The exhausted Faunus sat back in her chair, gazing at the screen in front of her, with a finger tapping idly on her lips. She was scanning over the manifests for the second time, making sure she hadn't missed anything, but, try as she might, she couldn't find anything.

The only thing that kept her suspicious was the possibility that the unknown enemy had been able to hide their tracks flawlessly, which seemed unlikely. No matter who was trying to cover it up, with something this big, there would be _something. _She knew it was probably a bad idea to start being suspicious of everyone and everything based on a _lack _of evidence, but if something like this was going on in both Vacuo and Mistral, then Blake had to be careful—she had to be _sure_.

Blake hung her head back with a groan. She could sit here all night, thinking herself in circles, and probably wouldn't find anything else—she knew that. She was getting too tired and had caught herself skipping lines in the manifests more than once.

There was a creak near the door to her office, and Blake glanced towards it. A door across the hall opened and closed, and then all was silent once more. Kelly must have gone out for coffee. The woman was always stubborn about staying in the office until Blake left, in case Blake ever needed anything. No matter how many times Blake told her to go home, Kelly would always be at the door, waiting, when she left.

Blake considered asking Kelly to get her a coffee as well, but decided against it. It _was_ getting late, and Yang would be back soon; it was about time for Blake to head home. She hadn't seen Yang for almost two weeks, and was eager to be in her arms again. No doubt Yang would be disappointed if she got home and Blake was still at the office this late.

Blake sighed and pushed her chair back. She grabbed her jacket that hung on a coat rack in the corner and slipped her arms in the sleeves, then grabbed Gambol Shroud from its mount next to the coat rack. There was another creak near the door as Blake crossed the room, no doubt Kelly getting back to her office. Blake opened the door and opened her mouth to tell Kelly to go home.

Then Jaune punched her in the forehead.

Blake stumbled back into her office, raising a hand to her face, and Jaune looked at her in horror. He stood at the door, frozen in place, with his fist held up as if about to knock on her door. Pyrrha peeked over his shoulder, obviously trying to stifle a laugh.

"Uh…" Jaune stammered, his face turning red. "Anyone home?"

Blake looked up at the blonde-haired moron and raised an eyebrow. "And I thought Weiss' jokes were bad."

Jaune laughed nervously and lowered his hand. "Sorry about that. Bad timing."

Blake rolled her eyes and Pyrrha burst into laughter.

"The looks on your faces," Pyrrha choked out in between laughs. "Gods, that was funny."

Blake—now sporting a red mark on her forehead—aimed her cocked eyebrow at Pyrrha for a moment, then sighed in resignation as Pyrrha only laughed harder.

"What're you two doing here?" Blake asked.

Pyrrha gasped for breath, trying to regain her composure, leaving Jaune to answer.

"We just got back," he replied, glancing at Pyrrha in concern. The tall, red-haired woman seemed to be having trouble breathing. "And saw your office light on through the window. We figured we'd stop by and say hello, see what you were up to."

Blake sighed. "Well come in. I was about to leave, but I can hang around for a little longer."

"Are you sure?" Jaune asked. "If you want to go home, you can go."

The Faunus shook her head as she took off her jacket. "It's fine, it'll be nice to catch up. I haven't seen you two in a while."

Jaune smiled and stepped into the office; Pyrrha staggered in behind him. They both sat on the lounge, and Blake took the seat in front of the desk—the one visitors sat in when she was behind her desk—hung her coat over the back of it, and placed Gambol Shroud on the floor. As she looked up, Pyrrha finally seemed to regain a measure of composure and wiped tears from her eyes.

"Feeling better?" Blake asked her.

"Much, thanks," Pyrrha said with a smirk. "That _was_ pretty funny though."

Blake broke into a smile and chuckled to herself. There was flash of movement near the door, and Blake turned towards it. Kelly was peeking her head in the door, a questioning look on her face.

Blake shot her a smile. "Ah, Kelly, could you go and get us three coffees, please?"

Kelly smiled in greeting to Jaune and Pyrrha and nodded. "Of course, Miss Belladonna."

The door clicked shut as Blake turned back to her guests. "So, how was the mission?"

"As good as any," Pyrrha replied with a smile. Jaune nodded in agreement. "It had its ups and downs, but we made do. It was good to get away for a while, even if it was only for work."

Blake forced herself to smile as she nodded. They all knew what Pyrrha meant by 'good to get away' was 'good to get away from Ruby'.

"That's great," Blake said. "I've been thinking of going for a vacation soon; a break sounds _amazing_."

"The kids pushing you hard?" Jaune asked with a nostalgic smile. Blake smiled back, remembering all the mischief they got up to and the trouble they'd put their teachers through. She really had it easy compared to that.

"No, the kids are fine," she elaborated. "Well, as 'fine' as teenagers can be. I've just been wanting to go away with Yang for a week or so; spend some time alone."

"Is she still away?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah." Blake sighed. "She should be back soon though. I wouldn't be surprised if she's at home, waiting."

"Oh, sorry," Jaune said, half-getting out of his seat. "We didn't mean to keep you away from her."

Blake waved at him to sit back down. "It's fine," she said. "I haven't seen her for two weeks, it can wait another half hour or so. I haven't seen you two in ages either."

Jaune opened his mouth to protest again, but then the door opened and Kelly walked in with a tray of coffee mugs, cream and sugar cubes. Blake thanked her and took the tray, setting it down on her desk.

"I'm all finished for the night, Kelly, you can go home. We'll just chat here for a little while, then I can lock up."

Kelly frowned, and her lock of green hair fell over one of her eyes. "Are you sure, Ma'am?"

The Faunus sighed. "Yes, Kelly, I can lock my office without you watching over my shoulder. Go home." She finished with a smile.

The young woman smiled in return. "Of course, Miss Belladonna. Thank you."

"No need, Kelly. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Kelly nodded and backed out of the room with a smile. Blake turned back to her friends, who were each nursing a steaming mug of coffee. She picked up the last mug, lathered it with cream and dropped in a couple of sugar cubes.

"So did anything exciting happen while we were away?" Pyrrha asked as Blake sat down.

The black-haired woman shrugged. "Not a whole lot. Ruby's still being her… herself. Nora shipped out a few days ago to help Yang. Yang visited Weiss. Ren went out on a mission with Ruby today… Oh yeah!" She glanced at the door before continuing in a lowered voice. "And there might a government conspiracy poised to take over Vacuo, Mistral, possibly Vale, and, at a guess, probably Atlas as well."

The married couple blinked twice in unison before crying out in shock. "_Yang visited Weiss!_"

This time it was Blake's turn to laugh. Of _course_ that would be what they'd focus on; they probably hadn't heard anything after she'd said after that.

"Yes. Weiss told me about it earlier today," she said with a grin.

"Hold on…" Jaune said, holding up a hand. "Yang… visited Weiss… and Weiss is _alive_?"

"So it would seem."

He slumped back into the lounge and looked at Pyrrha as if his entire world had just flipped on its head; she looked just as surprised.

"What happened?" Pyrrha asked.

"From what I can tell," Blake replied, "they talked about Ruby. And Weiss must have said the right thing, because she was fine when I talked to her. I'll ask Yang about it when she gets back, but I guess everything went… unexpectedly well."

"Wow…" Pyrrha whispered.

"Anyway," Blake moved on. "How about you? Anything important happen to you while you were away?"

Jaune didn't seem to hear her, but Pyrrha's smile faded slightly.

"We…" the red-haired woman hesitated.

Blake's brow furrowed. "What is it?"

"We caught a member of the Black Talon."

Pyrrha's words slammed into Blake like a freight train.

_The Black Talon…_

They were a new and dangerous threat that had cropped up almost two years, and, to everyone else, they were just that: a dangerous threat. To Blake, the Black Talon had become a lingering reminder of her past, and everything she had fought to change in the world.

A few weeks after their first attack, Blake had gone to talk a few of her old friends—ex-White Fang members. None of them had known anything about the Talon. All she'd learnt was that a section of the Fang had splintered off nearly five years ago, and pretty much dropped off the face of Remnant. No one heard anything about the men and women who had left until they attacked a Dust refinery near Atlas under the banner of the Black Talon three years later.

With the Talon having broken off from the White Fang so long before the latter organisation was disbanded, Blake gave up on any hope of finding the members through her past contacts. Then, despite all their efforts to do so, no one had been able to capture any of them alive. Blake had started to give up hope that they'd be able to bring the Talon down, but here Pyrrha was, presenting an opportunity to do just that—if they could get any information out of the prisoner.

"That… That's great news," Blake said. "Have you managed to…?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "He's still unconscious. Jaune swears he didn't hit him that hard, but when we gave him to the doctors here; they said it looked like he might have aura shock."

Blake frowned. It had been a long time since she'd heard of a case of aura shock. Not since… _Myrka. _Her frown deepened. Now that she remembered the name, her brain was pouring other memories to the forefront.

He had escaped custody, freed by the White Fang, almost five years ago; right around the time the members of the Black Talon had left the White Fang. That couldn't be a coincidence… Someone in control of the Fang had freed him, possibly repaired his aura, and given him a portion of their troops to form his own terrorist organisation? Blake's instincts told her no, that no Faunus that was enough of an activist to join the White Fang, let alone the Talon, would work for a human. But they _had_ worked for Torchwick and Cinder…

"Damn," she whispered. It was _possible._

"I know," Pyrrha said. "But he'll wake up eventually."

Blake looked up and blinked in confusion. What was Pyrrha talking about? Once Pyrrha saw Blake's confused look, she matched it with her own.

"What?" the red-haired Huntress asked. "What's wrong?"

Blake blinked as she remembered the prisoner. "Nothing! Nothing," she reassured Pyrrha. "Just… thinking…"

"About what?"

Blake shook her head. "I'm not sure yet. I'll need some time to think it over a bit more before I share."

Pyrrha hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Blake smiled her appreciation; she didn't want to start throwing around crazy theories with no evidence or proper reasoning to back it up, no matter how well the pieces might fit at first glance. Besides, knowing who was in charge of the Talon wasn't going to help them. That wouldn't tell them where they were hiding, or what they were after; there were more important mysteries to solve.

"Anyway," Jaune cut in, apparently recovered from his shock at Weiss' survival. "Once he wakes up, we'll question him. We'll get any information out of him we can, then we'll see what we can do about bringing down the Talon with what we get."

He seemed eager, and excited. Maybe too excited. Blake _knew_ that it wouldn't be that easy. They'd never caught a member alive before because they'd always managed to commit suicide before being captured. If they were willing to kill themselves to prevent their capture, Blake couldn't see them cracking under interrogation.

"So what's this about a conspiracy?" Pyrrha asked, snapping Blake out of her thoughts.

The Faunus laughed. "So you _did_ hear that, did you?"

Pyrrha grinned. "It took a little while to register, but I got there."

Blake shook her head as she chuckled. "I won't go into too many details tonight," she began. "I'm going to call everyone back here tomorrow, and explain it to all of you, and I really don't want to do it twice." Pyrrha and Jaune both nodded. "Basically, Weiss told me today that there is Dust going into Mistral that's unaccounted for on any of her shipping logs, and she's trying to work out why. I met someone today, whom you'll meet tomorrow, who told me that Dust is being smuggled _out_ of Vacuo. He came to warn us that something similar might be going on here, and I figure it's worth us all looking into—just in case."

Pyrrha and Jaune both frowned. "That is… odd," Pyrrha said. "But are we sure it's a government conspiracy?"

Blake raised a hand. "Can we leave it until tomorrow? I'll give you all the details, and then you can decide. If you're still sceptical, we can talk it through then."

Pyrrha nodded and downed the last of her coffee with one swig. Then she got to her feet and gestured for Jaune to get up as well.

"We should probably call it a night then," she said. "Sounds like we'll have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Blake nodded and rose from her chair. "Sounds good. I am getting a bit tired."

As if on cue, Jaune let out a massive yawn. Pyrrha grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

"Looks like someone else is getting tired as well," she said affectionately. He grinned and kissed her quickly on the cheek.

The sight of their affection made Blake want to leave even more; she wanted to see Yang again. She grabbed her jacket and Gambol Shroud, and swung them both on. Jaune held the door open for them as they left, then Blake locked the door behind them, jiggling the handle to make sure it was locked.

Blake turned to her right, towards Jaune, Pyrrha, and the exit, but then she heard the squeak of floorboards to her left. She turned back, gazing down the corridor, but saw nothing.

"Everything okay?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah…" Blake muttered. "Thought I heard something."

"What?"

"Nothing. It's fine. Beacon's an old building; old buildings make noise. It was probably just the wood creaking in the cold."

She led the way down the corridor and pulled out her scroll as they reached the door that led out to the grounds. A green light flicked on above the door as Blake held her scroll in front of the scanner next to it, and the door slid open. The grounds were illuminated by lights scattered across the campus, and any patches of ground that evaded their light were cast in a pale glow by the half-moon.

"Have you got your scroll?" Pyrrha asked Jaune as they stepped outside, into the moonlight.

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I've got it."

"Are you sure? You remember what happened the last time you left it inside? You couldn't get into the school for the whole day, until _I_ went and found it for you."

"_I've got it!_" Jaune groaned. "No need to remind me every damn time."

Pyrrha laughed at his annoyance and wrapped both of her arms around one of his affectionately as they began to cross the grounds. Blake smiled to herself and shook her head. She'd never expected Pyrrha to have such a playful side, but it had sprung out of nowhere once she and Jaune and started dating in their third year.

It was nice to see though; nothing ever got her down for long. If she was near Jaune, she was happy. And he was just the same. Whenever one of them saw the other, anyone around could see their eyes light up with joy. It was touching to see; they had all of their affection for one another written so plainly on their faces, and everyone who saw it knew, immediately, that the two were made for each other.

Blake and the love-struck couple walked back into Vale. As they stepped through the gate that marked the border of Beacon's grounds, and onto the street, they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Pyrrha and Jaune lived in an apartment in the north side of Vale; Blake and Yang lived just a block away from Beacon.

The school had offered Blake an apartment on campus, in the faculty dorm, but she'd refused. She and Yang had wanted their own place, away from the hustle and bustle of Beacon. Somewhere where they could forget their responsibilities for a few hours and be Blake and Yang, the married couple, rather than Blake and Yang, the Huntresses. So they'd bought their own apartment, but kept it close to the school—Blake hadn't wanted to have to commute through the city for hours to get to work every morning.

Her heart thumped as she caught sight of the six-storey-tall apartment building. The front door of the building was brightly lit; a warm inviting light, made more so by the fact that Yang could be waiting inside. Blake glanced at the upper floors, where their apartment was. The façade of the building was glowing a pale white in the moonlight, and all the windows were dark.

Blake pushed aside the shard of disappointment that lanced through her heart. That didn't mean anything. Yang often left the lights off whenever she got back from a mission while Blake was out. She hid somewhere in the apartment and tried to scare Blake. The Faunus smiled. Yang had never really grown up; she was just as fun-loving and excitable as she had been when they'd first met.

The doors opened as Blake approached and she stepped inside, forcing herself not to run. The elevator's call button turned green as she pressed it, and the screen above the door lit up, telling her the elevator was on the third floor. She tapped an irregular beat on her thighs as she waited.

After a century, the elevator doors opened and Blake stepped in. She hit the button for the fifth floor and leant back against the rear wall. Her heart rose in her throat as the elevator rose through building.

After a millennia, the doors opened again. Blake hurried out. The hallway leading to the apartment seemed to stretch out before her feet, growing longer and longer with each step she took.

Then she was at the door. She fumbled her scroll as she tried to hold it to the scanner, and it thudded to the carpeted floor. Her knee popped loudly as she darted down to grab it, like a cracked knuckle.

Stars could have formed and died in the amount of time it took for the apartment door to finally open. Blake almost sprinted inside and closed the door behind with a click.

The entire apartment was dark, almost pitch black. Even with her Faunus eyes, Blake could barely see two feet to either side of her. Her ear twitched as she focussed, trying to hear any noises inside. The apartment was utterly silent, eerily so. If Yang was hiding, she was hiding well.

There were quite a few places to hide as well. There was a bedroom immediately to Blake's right, and a hallway in front of her, leading to the kitchen, living room, and the main bedroom. She mentally ran through a list of where Yang had hidden before, and decided to check the spare bedroom anyway.

Making sure to step close to the wall to avoid any loose, squeaking floorboards, Blake stepped into the small room. It was rarely used, though they occasionally had friends stay in it after a dinner party if they'd had a bit too much to drink—Nora was the most regular tenant.

A quick inspection of the room provided nothing in the way of hidden spouses, so Blake headed back to the entryway. There was a small ensuite bathroom attached to the room, though it provided nowhere to hide. Blake gave it a brief search anyway, just in case, but found nothing. She closed the bedroom door behind her as quietly as she could before heading down the hallway.

She touched a hand lightly against the wall with each step, making sure she stayed right next to it, and moved slowly, always on the balls of her feet. With every step, Blake cursed how well tinted the windows were; not a hint of moonlight made it in. She _could_ just turn on a light, but that would be giving up. Yang had won this game last; Blake wasn't going to let her win again.

Something creaked in the apartment. Blake froze. It hadn't been her. Yang must have moved. It sounded like it had come from the living, not a helpful clue. She was heading that way already.

She came out of the hallway and crouched at the corner. The hallway came out in the corner of the main living area, which stretched out in front of Blake and to her right. There was a window on the far wall, with curtains drawn over it.

The area at the far end of the room, under the window, was the lounge area, with two large lounges and a TV mounted on the left wall. Directly in front of Blake was the dining area, a large, rectangular, eight person table, with chairs all around it. Further to the right was the kitchen, with the kitchen bench acting as a divider between the two areas. Directly to Blake's right, there was a wall, with a door leading into the main bedroom.

Straining her eyes as much as she could, Blake peered into the darkness. It didn't help. She knew the table was there—she'd bought the thing—but she could barely see the chair sitting at the nearest end.

Frowning in thought, Blake decided to check the bedroom first. Best to start at one end and sweep across. She crept through the door and, as quietly as Faunusly possible, tore the room apart. She checked under the bed, in a corner partially hidden by a chest of drawers, in their ensuite, everywhere anyone could potentially hide, but found nothing. She even checked in the closet, where Yang had hidden before, but found nothing—as she'd pretty much expected.

Blake had just stepped out of the bedroom and into the dining area when she felt a chill. It wasn't cold, but she shivered. She tensed her muscles and started to spin back to the bedroom just a pair of hands clamped down on her shoulders. She shrieked and jerked away, but the hands held her firmly.

"I win," Yang's voice whispered in her ear, dripping with amusement.

Blake swore under her breath and tried to pull away, but the hands spun her around and pulled her close. Soft lips pressed against hers, and Blake inhaled through her nose. Yang's scent threatened to overwhelm her, and she gave into the kiss. Her head spun as she pushed into Yang, pressing their lips together passionately.

Even if the lights were on, Blake wouldn't have been able to see anything at this point. All sensations faded away as she lost herself in the sensation of Yang's lips. Yang wrapped her arms around Blake's waist and pulled the black-haired woman tight against her body. Blake forgot which way was up, what her own name was, and the meaning of the word 'alone'.

Yang lifted Blake up and stepped back into the bedroom before tipping back onto the bed. They landed on their sides, lips still locked—only parting momentarily for desperate gasps for breath—with their legs hanging off the bottom of the bed. Blake broke away from Yang and pushed herself towards the bed head—she hated having her feet dangling in the air while she and Yang…—and kicked off her boots. She heard two thuds as Yang kicked off her own boots and then gasped in surprise as Yang lunged at her.

They kissed for a fleeting moment before Blake pushed Yang to the side—onto her back. The Faunus swung a leg over Yang's waist and straddled her, sitting back. She shrugged off her jacket and Gambol Shroud and tossed them to the floor with her boots before returning to the matter at hand. It was still pitch black and impossible to see, but from where she was now, Blake swore she could make out her wife's every detail.

She ran her hands up Yang's stomach, under her shirt, feeling the decadent smoothness of her skin. Yang let out a shuddering breath and Blake grinned. She pushed her hands up higher, tracing the small bumps of Yang's ribs, until the tips of her fingers brushed against the bottom of Yang's bra—then she stopped. Yang sucked in a breath, the kind of breath one takes in between bouts of torture.

Blake grinned wickedly and pulled her hands away. Yang let out a sigh that sounded full of disappointment, then gasped for breath again as Blake's hands nestled gently on the curve of her hips. The suddenly masochistic Faunus ran her hands lightly up her blonde victim's sides, brushing against the side of her breasts, and slid them along the smooth skin of Yang's arms until she reached the wrists. Then Blake pulled Yang's arms up and forced them back against the pillows, above Yang's head.

Now that her wife was effectively immobilized, Blake leant down, _ever_ so slowly, taking in every sensation that arose as she did so. She shivered as the bare skin of her stomach touched Yang's, still exposed from when Blake had lifted her shirt; sucked in a ragged breath as her breasts pressed against Yang's; and questioned her sanity as she touched her lips, lighter than the touch of a feather, to Yang's.

Yang pushed her head forward, trying to force a more passionate kiss, but her tormentor pulled away with a smirk. The blonde woman's next breath was almost a groan. Blake leant in again, slower this time, until she was close enough to Yang's lips to breath lightly on them. Yang tensed underneath her, and Blake moved on. She pressed her cheek against Yang's, with her mouth right next to Yang's ear.

"Don't. move."

Yang shivered at the feeling of Blake's breath running over her ear. Blake smiled and flicked her tongue out, teasingly flicking it against Yang's earlobe. This time Yang bucked, but Blake managed to hold her down.

Once Yang settled back down, Blake moved back to Yang's mouth, pressing her lips against Yang's just as lightly as she had before. She waited for a moment, and then, when Yang didn't move, she began to trace her feather-light kisses along Yang's lips, moving along the bottom lip first, then back across the top one, until she was back where she started.

Yang finally tore her hands out of the weaker, black-haired woman's grip, wrapped her arms around Blake's waist, and flipped over. Blake let out a laugh and wrapped her legs around Yang's waist as the blonde woman pushed her back into the soft mattress. Her laugh cut short as Yang's lips pressed against hers with all the force of a tsunami. And, like a tsunami, the sensation of Yang crashed over Blake as she gave in and gave herself over to the love of her life.

Hands ran up Blake's stomach, under her shirt, but didn't stop at the bottom of her bra. In fact, they didn't stop until Blake's shirt was pulled over her head and tossed onto the floor. Blake's head spun as the hands returned and Yang nibbled at her neck. That wasn't fair. Yang _knew _that was her weak point. At this point, Blake lost all self-control, and began to tear at Yang's clothes just as rabidly as Yang had removed hers.

The two lovers lost themselves in each other. Blake always made a game of trying to find the silver lining to every cloud, and if she had to pick a silver lining for the cloud of Yang leaving her alone for two weeks, this was it.


	8. Beginning an Investigation

The sun was rising as Weiss' airship touched down in Mistral. She looked up from her scroll as the pilot's voice crackled through the intercom. The door to her left edged open as she pushed herself out of the seat.

She grabbed Myrtenaster from a weapon rack on the wall and picked up her suitcase. Myrtenaster slipped into its loop on her belt, and Weiss smiled. She missed the weapon's weight at her hip. Working at the Schnee Dust Company was an important job, but not a very exciting one. Feeling Myrtenaster tugging at her belt was a reminder that, for the moment at least, she was a Huntress again.

Weiss strode down the gangway with a small smile on her face and raised a hand in greeting when she spotted Neptune waiting for her on the landing pad. He looked the same as he always did: hair painstakingly crafted into shape, designer clothes, still wearing those _stupid _goggles. Weiss glanced down at her own outfit; she hadn't changed much either. Her clothes were pretty much just a resizing of what she wore during her time at Beacon, though she'd cut her hair shorter since then.

Neptune waved back and shot her a grin.

"How was the flight?" he asked as Weiss approached.

She shrugged. "I've had worse. I'm just glad to be out of Atlas for a while," she added with a wry twist to her smile.

The blue-haired Huntsman laughed. "I'll never understand why you stay there if you hate it so much."

"I don't _hate_ it," Weiss insisted. "It's just nice to get away now and again."

Neptune rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure."

Weiss frowned. She didn't like being patronised. But before she could say anything, Neptune turned away.

"Come on," he called over his shoulder. "The car's out the front."

Weiss raised an eyebrow as she watched him walk towards the terminal, then sighed and followed at a brisk walk until she caught up. She handed her ID to the checkpoint guards at the door and glanced out a nearby window as they ran through the system.

The sun was peeking out from in-between the towering buildings in Mistral's city centre and filling the city with light. There was a park nearby and people were already visible, even at this early hour, walking dogs or going for morning jogs. It looked so peaceful.

_Looked _peaceful.

Weiss couldn't help but wonder what was going on under the surface. They knew something was happening in the city, but they had no starting point for their investigation and no idea how big whatever they were investigating could be. It could involve the entire city for all they knew. Who knew how long that peaceful façade could last?

Weiss felt a chill, and not from the early morning breeze. She found herself holding the silver rose at her throat, squeezing it in her left hand. The chill slowly went away as she took strength from Ruby's pendant.

_It doesn't matter how big it is, _she thought, _we'll get to the bottom of it._

_And once we're done, I can go and see Ruby again…_

Weiss smiled at the thought, then was snapped out of her thoughts as the checkpoint guard cleared his throat. She blushed slightly as she took her ID back and they waved her through. From Neptune's desperate attempt to hide his smile, she knew they'd been waiting for her for too long. And that made her blush more.

They didn't talk as they strode through the terminal. Weiss walked a few steps ahead to avoid Neptune's amused gaze, but had to let him catch him when she stepped outside and realised she didn't know where he'd parked. He patted her on the shoulder and pointed to the left.

"Over here," he said. "It's not far."

They walked into the large parking lot and weaved through the cars. It wasn't long before Weiss spotted the familiar shape of Neptune's car. She'd only visited him in Mistral a few times, but she recognised the expensive-looking, convertible sports car. Cars had never really been an area of interest to Weiss, but she couldn't help but be impressed by it. It was a nice looking car.

Neptune popped the trunk open and Weiss placed her suitcase inside. She drew Myrtenaster as she opened the passenger door and sat down, placing the rapier point first on the floor. Neptune raised an eyebrow at her.

"You can put that in the trunk too if you want."

Weiss shook her head. "I want to keep it on me, just in case."

"In case what?"

She shrugged. "I'm on a job here; I like to keep it on me when I'm on a job."

Neptune paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough." He sat in the driver's seat and turned the car on.

"Now," he said with a grin, "for the most important question: Roof up, or roof down?"

"What do you think?"

He laughed. "Okay, roof down it is." At the press of a button, the roof of the car folded back and sank into a compartment at the back. The breeze blew into the car, and Weiss looked out her window in an attempt to hide her smile. It would never do for people to know that a Schnee enjoyed speeding down highways with the roof down; she had a reputation to uphold.

They pulled out of the parking lot and turned into the streets of the city. Weiss' whipped back and forth in the wind as they sped down one of the city's major roads. She closed her eyes and smiled as she relished the experience. Neptune laughed, but she ignored it. She was out of Atlas. Myrtenaster was at her side. They were hunting down a strange conspiracy. This was what she was made for.

After a while, she opened her eyes. Neptune was grinning, glancing at her now and then. He laughed when their eyes met, and she grinned back. They tore down the road, speeding past cars and trucks, much faster than they should have. But they didn't care. All Huntsmen and Huntresses had special license plates on their cars, so other drivers and police knew who was behind the wheel. It let them bend the rules now and then and, while it was only meant to be used for emergencies, they liked to take advantage of that power. Life as a Huntress wasn't all training and fighting to save the world, Weiss mused, it had its own advantages in day-to-day life.

They sped through the city until they reached Neptune's apartment. He lived halfway up a twenty-storey apartment complex. Not quite a penthouse suite, but it was certainly an up-market building. Neptune was always prone to over-spending for extra luxury. Not that Weiss was complaining; it gave her a nice place to stay whenever she was in Mistral.

Neptune let Weiss dump her things in his guest room and wandered into the kitchen. She dumped her bag on the bed and flopped down next to it, gazing up at the ceiling as she sank into the soft mattress. She reached into a pouch at her belt and pulled out her scroll. For almost the entire flight to Mistral, Weiss had been staring at the screen, waiting. She'd called Ruby and gotten no answer. Though disappointed, Weiss had shrugged it off. It would've been late afternoon in Vale when she'd called—maybe Ruby had been busy. And so she'd waited.

Ruby still hadn't called back. That worried Weiss. She had to have seen the notification by now. But she still hadn't called back. Not even a message. Did Ruby not want to talk to her? Had something happened to Ruby, and she _couldn't_ call back? Weiss fought back the urge to call again. She didn't want to seem pushy. And she had things to do anyway, she couldn't afford to spend the whole day waiting for a phone call that may or may not come.

No matter how much she tried to tell herself that, Weiss couldn't help but stare at the screen forlornly, while the call log blinked at her: _No missed calls. _With a sigh of resignation and a mental kick, Weiss closed the scroll and put it away. _Don't start this, Weiss, _she told herself. _You do _not_ have time. There are more important things to do right now. _Weiss squared her shoulders and left the bedroom, still thinking of Ruby—despite her mental pep-talk.

"How do you like your eggs?" Neptune was standing at the stove, wearing an apron over his clothes and wielding a frying pan.

Weiss froze at the sight and couldn't help but snigger.

"What!?" Neptune cried, outraged.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Weiss gasped.

Neptune looked offended. "The girl at the cooking store said it made me look sexy…"

Weiss burst into laughter. "It's got _kittens on it!_"

"Kittens are cute!"

Weiss sat on a stool at the kitchen bench and hunched over, shaking with laughter. After a few seconds, she sat up and she gasped for breath. Neptune was frowning at her with his hands on his hips, still holding the frying pan. Weiss did her best to contain the next bout of laughter, and settled for a quiet splutter.

"Scrambled, please," she said, as calmly as she could manage. Neptune raised an eyebrow at her, then turned to the stove.

They ate a quick, but surprisingly delicious, breakfast—Neptune _knew_ how to make eggs—and then sat at the bench with mugs of coffee.

"So what's the plan?" Neptune asked, all trace of humour gone. It was time they got started.

Weiss glanced at the clock before replying. Ten thirty. As good a time to start as any.

"I've got _an_ idea of where to start," she said. "But first, I have to ask: you're _sure_ you saw twelve tonnes coming into the city?"

Neptune nodded. "Certain. And that's all I saw. There might be more for all I know, where I couldn't get eyes on it."

Weiss nodded slowly as she thought. "Okay, good. That gives us a starting point."

"And what's that?"

"We go to the Schnee company headquarters in Mistral, and confront them on it."

Neptune raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Weiss shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe not. But we have nothing else to go on at the moment. We'll go to the warehouse you saw it delivered to first—scope that area out—then we'll head there and confront them. They'll probably have moved it from the warehouse by now, so we not likely to find anything there—"

"But it can't hurt to check."

"Exactly. If we find anything, then we can re-plan. But if we don't, then we go straight to the HQ and tell them we know. Once we see how they react, we can act from there. If they try to hide it, then we'll know something is _definitely_ going on."

Neptune frowned. "_If_ they try to hide it?"

"Well, if they don't, then I'd like to see their explanation for that much Dust coming in."

"Good point," Neptune said with a chuckle.

Weiss downed the last of her coffee and got to her feet. "Shall we go then?"

Neptune promptly followed suit. "Might as well. No sense wasting daylight."

They grabbed their weapons and headed back to the car. Weiss squinted as Neptune pulled the car out of the parking lot in the building's basement; the sun was much brighter than when they'd arrived. Neptune held out a small pair of sunglasses.

"Here," he said. "You left these here the last time to visited."

Weiss smiled and slipped them on, casting the world in a grey sheen. The car pulled out of the driveway and whipped onto the road. She wound the window down and rested her arm on the door, brushing an errant lock of hair behind her ear with the other hand. Neptune shot her a grin and put his foot down.

* * *

Half an hour later, on the other side of the city, the car pulled into the empty lot next to the warehouse. Weiss stepped out of the car and stretched out. She slid Myrtenaster out a few inches and let the sword drop back. She probably wouldn't need it, but it never hurt to be careful.

"So how're we going to do this?" Neptune asked.

Weiss looked at the warehouse, visible through a wire fence running around the property. It was a massive building, at least two hundred metres long and one hundred across. She also knew that, if it was like most Schnee warehouses, it had subterranean floors as well. More volatile forms of Dust needed to be kept in special conditions and it was easier to keep them below ground, where it was colder.

She put her hands on her hips and glanced around. It didn't look like it was heavily guarded, which wasn't really surprising. It was a delivery warehouse; the Dust wasn't meant to stay here more than a few days before being distributed around the city. There might be small amounts of it left, but nothing worth a heavy security force.

"How long ago did you see the shipment get here?" she asked.

"About three days ago? Four?"

Weiss nodded. "Most of the Dust should be shipped out by now. Security will be low until the next shipment gets here."

"So we can sneak in?"

"Might be better than running the risk of tipping them off that I'm here. If we tell a guard who I am and he lets us in, I guarantee the people in charge of the Mistral branch will know within five minutes."

Neptune frowned. "We'd be better off taking them by surprise when we pay them a visit."

"Exactly."

"So we sneak in."

"We sneak in."

Weiss glanced around once more, in case any guards were patrolling nearby, and conjured a glyph beneath their feet. Neptune bent at the knees, standing on the balls of his feet—ready for action—and Weiss activated the glyph, launching them up and over the fence. She landed in a crouch and dashed across the empty clearing in between the fence and the warehouse. There was no cover between them and the building; speed was their best friend for now.

When they reached the shade of the warehouse and pressed their backs against the wall, Weiss cast her gaze upwards. All of the windows were closed. Casting another furtive glance around, Weiss led the way to the back of the building.

She peeked around the corner and saw one guard, walking away from them. The guard reached the far end of the warehouse and glanced back towards them. Weiss jerked back around the corner for a few seconds before cautiously peeking back around. The guard was gone. She waved Neptune up and the two of them dashed around the corner and to the door.

Weiss grabbed the doorknob and was unsurprised to find it locked. She reached into a pouch at her belt and pulled out a Burn pick. It was a small, needle-like device that looked almost identical to a lock-pick, but with a small canister of Burn Dust in the handle. She slipped the pick into the lock of the door and pressed a small button on the end of the handle. The Burn Dust was injected into the lock and quickly burnt the mechanism. The door swung silently open and Weiss and Neptune dashed inside.

"It's empty," Neptune muttered. It was an accurate description. The room before them was immense, but utterly deserted. Not a single crate of Dust was left; the building looked like it had been scoured clean.

"You sound disappointed."

"I thought that, if they were smuggling extra Dust in, they might keep it stored here. Seemed as good a hiding place as any."

Weiss nodded towards a freight elevator in the corner of the room. "There might be some below ground, but I can't imagine security would be this lax if there was."

They hurried to the elevator and Neptune reached out to the button to send it down. Weiss grabbed his arm and shook her head.

"It'll be too loud," she said.

"So how do we get down?"

Weiss walked to the back of the elevator and lifted up a small panel, revealing a ladder leading down the elevator shaft.

She smirked at Neptune. "In case the power goes out," she explained.

Neptune nodded and dropped through the hole. Weiss glanced around as she waited. It was strange that there was nothing left, she thought. There was normally a crate or two left behind, kept as a back-up supply, but now there was nothing. The official manifests had records of ten tonnes coming into the city—when the usual shipment was eight—so they _couldn't _have needed it all right away. There should be _some_ left behind.

_Where is it? _Weiss frowned.

She turned back to the ladder and, after taking a deep breath, stepped into the darkness. There was a light below her, probing back and forth; Neptune had already reached the bottom. Weiss waited until she was a few metres above the bottom of the shaft and conjured a glyph. It slowed her down enough that she could casually step off it and into the hallway leading away from the elevator.

Neptune pointed his flashlight at her for a moment, and Weiss covered her eyes with a hand, wincing.

"Sorry," he muttered, pointing it down the corridor.

Weiss grunted in acknowledgment and headed in the direction the light shone, moving quickly on the balls of her feet. They came to another large door, the only one in the hallway, and stepped through.

The air seemed to instantly grow colder. There were air vents at the top of the room, with burst of mist blowing out of them. This was the cold storage room, for the more unstable Dust. But, like the room above, it was utterly empty.

Neptune swore. "Nothing? At _all_?"

"Relax," Weiss said. "We'll find it."

"There's got to be _something_ here, surely!"

Weiss shook her head. "Look around. You can see it from here: the place is deserted. It's been cleaned out. Come on, let's get out of here."

"Schnee Company headquarters?"

"Yeah. It's all we can do now."

"I hope this works."

"Me too."

* * *

They evaded the guards on the way out as easily as they had on the way in and sped away from the warehouse. Weiss could see the tower in the distance, with the Schnee family crest emblazoned at the top. The building towered over most of the city. It wasn't the tallest skyscraper in Mistral, but it wasn't far off it.

Neptune wove the car through the traffic, and Weiss gazed at all the cars as they sped by. It was another image of normality: people going to and from work, going out for lunch, going shopping. Just living their lives. There were times when Weiss envied these people. They had no idea what dangers lurked outside the walls of their kingdom. They had no idea what was happening _inside_ the kingdom either. Weiss envied them that. They didn't have to worry about it. And it was Weiss' job to keep it that way.

She looked turned back to the front. It was her job to make sure people could live their peaceful lives. Her job to sort out whatever was going on in Mistral.

She glanced upwards as the car came to a stop and couldn't help but feel a little intimidated at the sight of the Schnee office towering over her. It was a daunting prospect though—getting to the bottom of this. If the Schnee company was involved, then this massive tower was what they were up against. They needed to play this smart; there was too much at stake.

The guards at the door eyed them as they stepped inside, but said nothing. Weiss approached the receptionist and put her ID on the counter. The man behind the desk glanced at the ID and up at her face in shock. It wasn't often a member of the Schnee family visited Mistral, and no doubt he was racking his brains for the reason for her visit.

"M-miss Schnee," he stuttered. "W-what a surprise."

"Where's the board?" Weiss asked, her voice firm. Each Schnee company branch was run by a board of six high-level executives, who answered to Weiss' father directly—or, in this case, Weiss.

"They're in a meeting on the top floor at the moment," the man said. "Shall I let them kno—"

"No," Weiss interrupted. "I'll see myself up."

The man opened his mouth to speak again, but Weiss breezed past him before he could get a word out. Neptune followed her with an amused grin. She held her ID card over the sensor in front of the elevator and the doors opened.

"Welcome, Miss Schnee," a computerised, female voice said as they stepped inside.

Weiss pressed the button for the top floor and leant against the wall, folding her arms. They didn't talk as the elevator shot up. They'd discussed their plan of action on the drive and didn't want to risk any cameras overhearing them.

They reached the top floor in less than a minute and stepped casually out of the elevator. Employees shot them confused looks as they stalked towards the large double door that led to the board room.

Weiss burst into the room like a winter storm, and all eyes were on them in a flash. There was a long table in the middle of the room, with the six executives and a secretary sitting around it. The walls to the right and left were made entirely of glass and the right one provided a view of the city, while the wall on the left looked back into the offices. The man sitting at the head of the table, directly across the room from them, was the first to regain his composure.

"Miss Schnee," he said in a voice like ice. "What an unexpected surprise. What're you doing in Mistral?"

Weiss rounded the table and stood to the right of it, in front of the glass wall. Half of the executives were forced to spin around in their chairs to meet her gaze, and most of them still looked confused and shocked at her sudden appearance. Weiss' gaze flickered back towards the door and she saw Neptune slip into the chair at the end of the table nearest the door, leaning back casually. They'd agreed to let her do the talking.

"Tell me about the Dust, gentlemen." If the first man's voice was like ice, then Weiss' was at absolute zero. There was no emotion, no sympathy, no care. She saw at least three of the executives lose all colour in their faces, and the rest shifted in their seats.

_Damn, _she thought. Some part of her had held on to the hope that these men weren't behind whatever was going on, or at least that it was nothing nefarious. But, by the looks on their faces, she knew Neptune had been right: these men were up to something

"What Dust would that be, Miss Schnee?" The man at the head of the table was the first to recover again.

"The official shipping manifests at Schnee Dust Company headquarters in Atlas say that the most recent delivery to Mistral was carrying ten tonnes of Dust. I have it on good authority that the train was carrying twelve. Where did the extra Dust come from? Why was it not reported on official paperwork? Where is it now?"

The man glanced at Neptune for a moment, narrowing his eyes slightly, then turned back to Weiss. She raised an eyebrow at him and waited for his answer. One of the other executives opened his mouth to speak, but the first man shot him a glare that stopped him in his tracks.

"That Dust," the apparent leader of the board began, "was an off-the-books resupply. A portion of the last shipment that came in wasn't usable—the Dust hadn't been kept properly for the journey here—and rather than have evidence of such an error, an extra two tonnes were added to this month's shipment."

Weiss didn't react to his words, but inside she was thrown. She'd been prepared for them to deny it, or give her some petty excuse. The last thing she'd been prepared for was a plausible explanation.

"With _no_ record of it?" she insisted, trying to stay on the attack.

"Your father said he would find a way to balance the books. He didn't want anyone to find out that a Schnee Company delivery had been mishandled. Didn't want the company's reputation tarnished."

_My father did… _Weiss frowned. _He couldn't be involved too, could he? Or is this man telling the truth…? _

"If you came all this way just to investigate such a trifling matter, no matter how _reliable_ your information," the man shot another glare at Neptune, who grinned back. "Then I'm afraid you've wasted your time, Miss Schnee. Everything is accounted for and being dealt with."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. She'd just been dealt one of the least subtle dismissals she'd ever received, and from an employee no less. The urge to snap back, to assert herself over him, nearly overcame her, but she held back. It wouldn't do to embarrass herself before these men further.

She snorted in derision. "Very well. Thank you for your time, gentlemen. I'll be staying in Mistral for the next week or so, so feel free to keep me informed on the situation. I'm sure my father would like to know that everything is going smoothly."

"Of course, Miss Schnee," the man said, all politeness now. "We live to serve."

Weiss turned in a huff and left the room, Neptune hot on her heels. They didn't say a word as they rode the elevator down and left the building. It wasn't until the stepped outside the building that Neptune laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, giving him a quick smile. "Just… wasn't expecting that."

"They're very good liars," he said with a wry grin. "Even I was struggling to stay suspicious."

"Did you plant the bug?" Weiss asked, ignoring Neptune's attempt at a joke.

"Did I plant the bug, she asks?" Neptune threw up his hands in mock exasperation. "With how distracted you made them, a blind Ursa could have planted the bug undetected."

"So you planted the bug?" Weiss said, keeping an utterly straight face.

Neptune gaped at her. "I… Yes. I planted the bug."

Weiss nodded. "Good. Let's go and grab some lunch and hear what they have to say."

They got in the car and drove around the corner to a nearby café. Neptune ordered them food and coffee while Weiss tuned her scroll to pick up the bug's frequency. There was a small crackling noise, with rough voices mixed in. Another small adjustment cleaned it up, and they could hear everything going on in the board room they'd just left.

"But how the _hell_ did she find out!" a voice cried. "This was meant to be utterly secret!"

"It doesn't matter." The man who'd talked to Weiss during their visit spoke in a calm voice. "We just need to make sure she doesn't find out anything _else_. We can't risk this coming to light before we're ready to make our move."

Weiss looked up at Neptune with a horrified expression. They'd been right, and by the sounds of it, it could be bigger than they'd thought.

Another voice piped up. "Should someone go and tell—"

"I'll be going presently," the ringleader interrupted. "For now let's be careful, gentlemen. We shouldn't risk any more meeting on this here, in case she shows up unannounced again. Any and all meetings or discussion of this matter should take place in the warehouse."

There was chorus of agreement, a shuffling of chairs and then silence. The board members had left the room.

"Well, damn." Neptune muttered. "That didn't help."

"We know they're up to something now," Weiss disagreed. "And if we're lucky, we might be able to follow him to whoever they're working with."

They dashed out of the café, leaving behind a confused looking waiter holding two cups of coffee.

Weiss noticed the ringleader getting into a car as they drove around the corner. Neptune had put the roof up on his car, and the windows were tinted, but Weiss couldn't help but slink down in her seat. They slowed down, waiting for him to pull out of the parking space at the front of the building. The man sped out and drove past them, heading the way they'd come. Neptune hissed in frustration and swung the car around, earning him a few outraged honks from other drivers.

They made it around just in time to see their quarry turn the corner and Neptune sped after him, slowing down as he reached the turn. Once the man was far enough away, he rounded the corner and set off after him, staying at least fifty metres behind him.

They stayed behind the man for what felt like an hour, but was more like five minutes. Weiss glanced around as Neptune drove, taking note of where they were heading. The man was driving towards the city's docks, almost the directly away from the warehouse they'd searched earlier.

Weiss jolted forward with a yelp as Neptune slammed the brake on. A large delivery truck had pulled out in front of them. Neptune swore and tried to swerve around the truck, but it was taking up too much space on the road, and he couldn't make it around. He slammed his hands on the steering wheel. Weiss watched the truck pull out agonizingly slowly. Every second the truck was in the way was another second he had to get away.

After far too long, the truck moved enough for Neptune to snake around. He sped down the road, ignoring the angry honks of the truck driver. They reached the end of the road and glanced down each way. There was no sign of their quarry.

"Shit," Neptune cursed. "What do we do now?"

* * *

**A/N: So I realise that these chapters might seem a little slow, but just hang in there, it's all going to be important. I'm hoping the mystery and the relationships between the characters is keeping everything interesting while I set everything up, but we're getting close. This story is going to explode at some point, and you'll be in for a ride when it does. But what's an explosion without a build up? And I realise I'm throwing a lot of information at you in each chapter, so if any wants me to clarify anything, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer, as long as it doesn't spoil anything that's going to happen in the story, or if the answer is important to the story.**

**Anyway, as ever, thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated, good or bad, so don't be shy about laying them on me.**

**I'll see you guys in another week!**


	9. Searching for a Sister

As she and Blake walked towards Beacon, all Yang could think about was how glad she was to be home. Her mission abroad had been a good way to blow off steam, but being away from Blake for that long was always hard in its own way. The familiar sights and sounds of her home washed over her, and Yang couldn't help but smile.

She stepped closer to Blake and grabbed the Faunus' hand in her own, interlocking fingers. Blake shot her a smile and squeezed her hand. They walked like this until they stepped onto Beacon's grounds, then Blake extracted her hand and smoothed out her clothes. She always tried to look professional around students.

They crossed the empty grounds—students would be in the middle of their first class—and entered the building where Blake's office was situated. Kelly was already waiting in the office across the hall when they arrived. Yang was often amused by Blake's assistant. She'd never seen anyone so devoted to their job before, and such a mundane job at that.

Kelly followed them into Blake's office and stood almost at attention near the door as Yang flopped onto the lounge.

"Miss Belladonna, I've sent messages to everyone you instructed, requesting their presence here," Kelly said.

"Thank you," Blake said as she sat down behind her desk. "Did you inform our… new contact of what time to be here?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Then that will be all, thank you."

Kelly nodded and turned to leave. She paused for moment and looked at Yang.

"Welcome back, Miss Xiao Long," she said, then she left.

Yang watched her close the door, then looked at Blake. "I like her."

Blake rolled her eyes. "You say that every time she calls you 'Miss Xiao Long'."

"And until I stop liking her for it, I'll keep saying it."

The door opened as Blake chuckled and Ren and Nora strode in. Nora greeted Blake excitedly while Ren nodded politely at Yang. No words of greeting from Ren, just an acknowledgment of her return. Yang nodded back with a smile. She could read the message in the nod—more than just a greeting.

"Thank you for taking care of her," the nod said.

Yang scooted over to the end of the lounge. Nora flopped down next to her and Ren slipped onto the other end of it.

"So what's going on?" Nora asked.

Blake opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the door opening again. Jaune and Pyrrha stepped into the office and Nora threw herself across the room, wrapping her arms around Pyrrha. Ren walked over and shook Jaune's hand; Jaune smiled at seeing his old friend again. Yang glanced at Blake and saw the Faunus lean back in her chair, watching the reunion with a smile.

Over the sound of Nora's excited squeals, Yang heard a gentle knock at the door. The door cracked open and Kelly poked her head in. She caught Blake's gaze and mouthed something to her. Blake waved her in and Kelly pushed the door open, gesturing for someone to enter.

A gigantic hulk of a man appeared in the doorway. He wore no shirt, and was wearing a shield on his back, similar to Jaune's but pitch black. Crimson hair, almost as red as Pyrrha's, hung to his shoulders. Nora gaped at him, staring at his bare chest. Pyrrha looked at him with a confused expression. He certainly looked impressive, but Yang's first reaction was a small scoff. _I could take him, _she thought.

Kelly edged around the room towards Blake's desk, and Yang scooted closer. She brushed her lock of green hair behind her ear as she leant down to Blake.

"I still haven't received a reply from Miss Rose," Kelly said. "I don't know if she'll be coming."

Blake frowned and glanced at Yang, who felt a sinking feeling in her chest. There were only two places Ruby was if she didn't come to anything they invited her to: on a mission, or lying in bed, beaten to a pulp from her last mission. All of their friends were in the room, so if Ruby was on a job, she was out alone. A worm of fear crept into Yang at the thought.

She got to her feet and headed to the door. Blake got halfway out of her chair, moving to follow her, but Yang shook her head.

"I'll go and get her," Yang mouthed, hoping that Ruby was just asleep in her apartment.

Yang noticed Ren glancing between them and gave him a wry smile. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ruby," she mouthed. He frowned and nodded.

Yang slipped through the door and started down the hallway. The door opened behind her, and she glanced back at the sound. Ren was jogging to catch up with her.

"What're you doing?" she asked, confused.

"Going with you." Ren's voice was resigned, but determined.

She wanted to ask why, but something in Ren's gaze made her realise that he was going to follow her regardless, so instead she shrugged and continued down the corridor.

They left Beacon and got into Ren's car. He sped through the city, his face looking more and more grave with each second. It was strange. Ren had never been so concerned about Ruby before. He was worried about her, of course—they all were—but he'd never seemed so serious about the matter.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

He grunted, but said nothing. Yang let it be. If Ren didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to. Something was different about today, Yang knew that, but she couldn't for the life of her imagine what it was. _Let's just worry about Ruby for now,_ she thought. They needed to make sure she was okay—that nothing had happened to her. Ren's issues could wait.

Traffic slowed them down and set Yang on edge. She ground her teeth harder with every passing minute and by the time they made it to Ruby's apartment half an hour later even Ren was wincing at the sound squeaking out of her mouth.

An old woman walked out of the building as they climbed the stairs, smiling pleasantly at them. The door swung shut behind the woman until Yang dashed forward and grabbed it. Ren nodded at the old woman as he passed and slipped inside. She seemed confused by Yang's sudden lunge, but neither of them wanted to explain that they didn't live there, or that their scrolls wouldn't have let them in, so Yang let the door swing shut and headed for the stairs—the elevators wouldn't work without an authorised scroll.

The hallway at the top floor was deserted, but they tried to make as little noise as possible. The walk to Ruby's door seemed to stretch on forever. She didn't know how she knew, but Yang was already certain that Ruby wasn't there.

Despite the crushing sense of futility, Yang knocked on the door. There was no response.

She knocked harder.

Nothing.

A glance at Ren and a resigned sigh.

She knocked again, this time calling Ruby's name.

Something creaked behind them.

One of Ruby's neighbours was peeking out of his door at them.

"She's not home," he said. "I heard her leaving this morning. Pretty damn early too."

"Any idea where she went?" Ren asked.

He shook his head. "She don't talk much. Certainly don't stop to say where she's heading every day."

"Damn," Ren muttered.

Ruby's door seemed to shrink away from Yang as she stared at it helplessly. Her hand reached out to pull it back—to pull Ruby back—but hesitated an inch from the handle. For weeks Yang had felt like Ruby was slipping away from her, but hadn't known what to do to stop it. She'd been so wrapped up in not knowing what to do that she hadn't even tried. And here she was again, stopping just short of the mark.

Her outstretched hand tightened into a fist. Her fist bruised her thigh as she snapped it back to her side. Ren called her name as she stormed away. The pillar of golden rage marched on. Ren sighed, thanked the man, and followed her down the hall.

Yang burst through the front door with a glare that could impale a Nevermore at twenty paces. She nearly snapped her scroll in half as she tried to get it out of its pouch, then nearly broke it again as she wrenched it open. The Board appeared on the screen at the punch of a finger and Yang smashed her way into the personnel registry. It was the page on the Board that kept track of which Huntsman or Huntress took which job, and had proved very useful for finding Ruby in the past.

The scroll trembled as Yang's fingers tapped the keys with all the tenderness of a rampaging Deathstalker. _Ruby Rose_, she typed. She took a breath, tried to compose herself, failed, and pressed _Search_.

Ren's hand came down on her shoulder as the scroll thought. The small, swirling icon that indicated a search in progress had never seemed more infuriating. Her shoulder shook. The icon swirled.

"_Yang!_" Ren shouted in her ear.

Yang's head shot up and she blinked in surprise. It was rare that Ren raised his voice. He was shaking his head at her, ever so slightly, as if in disbelief.

"Calm down," he said.

Yang looked at him like he was insane. "How am I supposed to—"

"We've found her before," he cut in. "Relax. We'll find her. Look, search complete."

Yang took another breath and tried to calm herself down again. Ren was right. She could feel her hair beginning to smoulder about her shoulders; that was bad. She was just so… _frustrated._ Why did Ruby have to do this all the time? It had been a year, almost to the day, since Weiss left, and not _once_ had she come to Yang for help. She'd never confided in her, never asked Yang to be there for her. And whenever Yang had tried to do it without being asked, Ruby had pushed her away. Weren't they sisters? Weren't they meant to have each other's backs? Both of their mothers were gone, their dad had been busy when they were children, so they'd _always_ been there for each other. Why was this any different?

Yang shook her head and took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, and held it. She counted to ten. Then counted to ten again. And again. When her head started spinning, she gasped and sucked in another breath. Ren was looking at her with concern plastered across his face, but she shook her head and looked at the scroll.

_Ruby Rose_, it read, _on active duty. Mission: Village assistance—training and fortification._

"'Village assistance'?" Ren read. "Does it say where?"

Yang tapped the _More Info_ button and another block of text appeared.

_Mission Assignment: 0500, Today._

_Teammates: None._

_Mission Location: Algard Village._

Ren muttered under his breath, too low for Yang to hear. Her eyes were locked on one line of text in the mission of outline, and she couldn't spare the attention to try and listen.

"Damn it, Ruby!" He spat.

"What is it?" Yang asked half-heartedly. She was still staring at the screen.

"She promised me that she wouldn't _do_ this anymore!" Ren was furious. Yang could hear the venom in his voice.

"What…?" She muttered, still distracted.

"Yang, I'm sorry." Ren said, his voice suddenly much gentler. "This is all my fault."

Ren's voice faded away. Yang stared at the screen.

_Teammates: None._

Ruby was out there alone. A shiver ran down Yang's spine. Ruby had up and left without telling anyone, out to some village gods knew where, alone. _What the hell was she thinking?_

"Yang!" Ren's voice buzzed like a fly. "Are you okay?"

The world seemed to contract. The edges of her vision faded to black. Ren's voice faded away. It was still there, but was almost unnoticeable in its irrelevance. Yang felt a fire burning around her. The image of Ruby's face made it burn all the hotter. _When did Ruby become so _stupid_?_ Yang screamed silently.

Something shook her. Yang nearly lashed out at the interruption before she recognised Ren, his face a picture of concern. She forced the flames down, pushed her fury aside. _We've got other things to deal with for now,_ she told herself. _You can get angry at Ruby when she's home safe._

Ren took a step forward as the flames dwindled and reached out to her. "Yang—"

"I'm fine," she said, holding a hand out to stop him.

"Are you sure?"

Yang took a breath, stood as straight as she could and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. What were you saying?"

Ren watched her for a few seconds longer, still obviously concerned, but he eventually nodded. "I'm sorry, Yang," he said finally, his voice laden with guilt.

She frowned, confused. "For what?"

He sighed. "This… Ruby… Her going away is probably my fault."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "How could it be your fault?"

"I… had a talk to her yesterday, while we were out culling Grimm. Told her that what she was doing was hard on all of us and that she needed to take some time off to recover. That she couldn't keep going into the forests alone all the time, where she's liable to get killed."

Yang listened in silence. It was everything they'd all thought about Ruby, but no one had before had the guts to say it aloud to one another, let alone to Ruby herself.

"I told her about how hard it's been for all of us, and all she did was get angry. She thinks we don't believe in her anymore, and that we think she can't handle herself. She said she'd try and be… safer. That she'd try and make things easier for everyone, but I guess she decided to prove to us that she can take care of herself—"

"And that way we'd stop worrying about her," Yang finished with a sigh. "That sounds like Ruby alright. Damn it!"

Ren flinched. "Sorry! I didn't know."

Yang shook her head. "I'm not angry at you. Just at her. You couldn't have known she'd do something like this."

"But you said yourself, that sounds exactly like what Ruby would do."

She sighed. "What's done is done, Ren. Don't beat yourself up over it. Let's just focus on getting my _dumbass_ of a sister back alive." Even though she was the one that made the wisecrack, Yang couldn't help but shudder at the idea of Ruby lying dead in a field somewhere. They _needed_ to get her back alive. They _would._ _No room for doubt,_ she told herself. _No time for despair; not while there's hope. _The mantra she'd used so many times before calmed her once again.

"So," she said, "any idea where this Algard village is?"

Ren hesitated, then nodded. "I think so. It sounds familiar, but I'll check and make sure." He pulled out his own scroll and typed the village into the search engine. While it loaded, he glanced up again. "If it's where I think it is, you won't like it."

"I won't like it regardless," Yang muttered.

Ren's screen flashed white as the page loaded, and he swore under his breath. "Yeah, there it is. Eastern edge of the Western Dragon."

"Oh gods _damn_ it, Ruby Rose!" Yang swore. "Why the hell would she go that far?"

"To get away from us," Ren said with a sigh. "Even if we go after her, she's got more than enough time to do whatever she's set out to do."

Yang mumbled curses of varying severity and enough blasphemous descriptions of the gods to make a priest cry. "Let's get back to Beacon," she finally said.

Ren nodded. "And then what?" he asked as they approached the car.

"I'll check the airship schedules on the way and find the earliest time I can book a flight there."

Ren raised an eyebrow at her over the roof of the car. "'I'?" he asked.

Yang nodded as she opened the door. "Yeah, 'I'. I'm going alone. I'm sick of all this. It's time Ruby and I had a sister-to-sister talk."

* * *

Ren and Yang had parted ways upon arriving at Beacon. He had climbed the steps to Beacon, mentioning something about Nora, while Yang had walked back to her and Blake's apartment. Now, two hours later, she was sitting at the kitchen bench with a small bag at her feet, cleaning Ember Celica, when the door opened.

Blake stopped at the end of the hallway for a moment, watching.

"You're going after her, aren't you?" she asked, her voice sombre.

Yang didn't look up from her work, but nodded. "Someone has to."

"And of course it had to be you…" A hint of bitterness crept into Blake's voice.

Yang stopped, set down the wire brush and turned towards her agitated wife. "Yes." Her voice was firm, unyielding. "It has to be me."

"I know," Blake sighed. "I just wish you didn't have to go. You just got back."

"She's my sister," Yang said, her voice turning angry. "I'm not going to let her run off on her own and just not worry about her, not with the state she's in."

Blake held up her hands in an attempt to placate her. "I know, I know. I'm not telling you not to go."

Yang grunted and turned back to her disassembled weapon. "How'd the meeting go?"

"Alright," Blake replied. She opened the refrigerator as she spoke and pulled out a jug of water. "Pyrrha was… sceptical, but agreed to help us look into it. Jaune and Nora both agreed to help pretty much right away, though you'd need a rampaging Goliath to stop Nora—she seemed so excited by the idea."

Yang chuckled quietly to herself. That sounded like Nora. Blake filled a glass with water and held the jug out towards Yang, an unspoken question in her eyes. When Yang nodded, she filled a second glass and slid it along the counter.

"Sorry I won't be here to help…" Yang said as she raised the glass to her lips.

Blake shook her head. "It's fine. It's probably not a bad thing having less people rooting around. We can be more subtle that way. The seven of us can handle it."

Yang quickly counted in her head. "Seven? I thought it was just you, JNPR and the block of muscle."

The Faunus rolled her eyes, clearly agitated. "Well that was the plan. But apparently Raud had told Kelly what was going on, thinking that we'd let her in on the plan because she's my assistant."

"You don't trust her?" Yang was surprised; Blake had only ever spoken highly of Kelly.

"It's not that." Blake shook her head. "I just didn't want to get her involved. It's not fair on her to be dragged into it against her will if it all goes sideways. But she seemed willing enough when we brought her in, so I guess it worked out alright."

Yang nodded as she scrubbed at one last smear of dirt, her tongue poked out in concentration. "That's good," she mumbled. "Keep me posted, yeah?"

"Of course," Blake replied with a smile. "As long as you do the same." She downed the last of her water and set the glass gently on the counter. "So when do you leave?"

Yang glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "A couple of hours." She inspected her chaotic pile of weapon parts and, once satisfied with their cleanliness, rapidly reassembled them. The gauntlets shrunk down to bracelets, which she slipped around her wrists with a satisfied smile. Blake was watching her with sadness in her eyes, so Yang shot her a smile. "Do you want to go out for lunch before I go?"

Blake's smile didn't quite reach her eyes, but it was a small improvement. "Sure."

Yang swung her travel bag over her shoulder and wrapped an arm around Blake, kissing her briefly on the lips before heading for the door. Blake took a moment to slip Gambol Shroud onto her back and lock the apartment door before leading the way down to the basement garage.

The sped out onto the streets and cruised through the city to their favourite restaurant. It was early afternoon by now, and the street were empty by Vale's peak hour standards. Most people had finished their lunch break and returned to work, leaving the city looking a little deserted. There were people milling back and forth on the sidewalks, going about their business, but everything just seemed… quiet.

There were only two tables taken when they arrived at the restaurant; the quietest they'd ever seen the place. The crimson walls of the room seemed so much larger with no one else to crowd in the room. The maître 'd led them to their usual table near the window, away from the other patrons who were sitting under the crystal chandelier in the centre of the room, and they ordered their usual dishes. Once their waiter headed to the kitchen, Yang turned to Blake and enfolded the Faunus' hand in her own.

"So," she said as she stroked Blake's hand with a thumb. "What's your plan of action?"

Blake glanced around furtively before replying in a low voice. "Do you really want to talk about this here?"

Yang shrugged. "I never heard the details. Might as well."

After another brief glance around the room, Blake shrugged. "Well, we split up into teams. Jaune and Raud are investigating the docks and the warehouses around there. Nora and Pyrrha are keeping an eye on any incoming or outgoing freight trains or trucks and the warehouses on that side of the city. Ren is doing his… thing. He didn't really say what, just that he'd ask around—see what he could come up with. Kelly and I are investigated around Beacon, seeing if anything odd crops up in our records, as well as city council manifests and the like."

Yang was watching her thumb, still sliding back and forth along the skin of Blake's hand, but was listening closely enough to smile. "Sounds like you got the boring job," she chuckled.

Blake shrugged. "Yeah, well, they had a valid reason for it—"

"'They'?" Yang laughed. "They made you do it?"

Blake shot Yang a half-serious glare. "Shut up," she said with a pout. That's how Yang knew she was joking. Blake never pouted. "I'm the only one that works as part of Beacon's faculty. So I'm the only one that _can_ look through there without looking immediately suspicious."

Yang raised her free hand placatingly. "Okay, good point. I'll give them that."

Blake pouted again, but broke into a laugh seconds later. Once their laughter petered off, they gazed into each other's eyes and Yang was struck by a realization of how lucky she was. _What were the odds, _she asked herself, _of finding her? Of finding someone so damn _perfect_?_ She smiled lovingly at Blake, who returned it in kind.

The waiter appeared at the table, carrying their meals, and they broke apart. They ate quietly, only engaging in simple small talk now and then, just enjoying one another's company. Other patrons arrived while they ate, and another group left, but the pair ignored them. As they often tried to do, they shut the world out. Forgot their troubles, forgot about Yang's impending departure, and just relished one another's presence.

Too soon, they left. There was still time before Yang's flight, so they got ice-cream and just cruised through the city. Blake took Yang to her favourite spot: a small park on a hillside with a breathtaking view of Vale harbour. The sun danced on the surface of the water, and seagulls glided back and forth. The centrepiece though, for Yang at least, was the view of Patch, sitting alone in the water. A sight of home was always reassuring before a trip away. Yang smiled at the sight and kissed Blake in thanks. The Faunus' lips tasted sweet; a blend of strawberries and chocolate.

Eventually though, they left. Beacon wasn't far from the park, so they made it there with half an hour before Yang's flight. They waited in the terminal until the airship landed, then stepped out onto the platform. Wind blew their hair around, but didn't distract them from gazing into one another's eyes again.

Their lips met, and they said goodbye. As Yang turned to leave, Blake's hand grabbed hers and she turned back.

"Bring her back safe."

Yang nodded.

"I promise."


	10. Trembling

It was the middle of the afternoon, and a cool breeze was blowing in from Vale's harbour, carrying with it a scent of salt, fish and industrial grease. Men and women scurried around the foreshore in the industrial area of the harbour, transporting loads of imported goods, tools, workers, and pretty much anything one would expect to see in a harbour—as well as a few not-so-expected items.

A dog yapped at Jaune from the cabin of a passing forklift and continued to yap as it faded into the mass of people and vehicles that covered the foreshore. The perplexed Huntsman watched it speed away with a look of confusion reminiscent of that often worn by fish after they feel a sharp jab and find themselves flopping pitifully on the shore.

Something nudged him out of his idle befuddlement. Jaune shook his head in an attempt to clear it before turning to his newfound companion.

Raud Geisa was certainly an imposing figure. Jaune couldn't think of anyone he'd met in his life that was as immediately threatening as him, nor anyone that could drive a room to utter silence by simply walking through the door. Besides all that though, he seemed like a nice guy. He was watching Jaune with an amused smile. Not a condescending amusement, but a good-natured one. Jaune got the feeling that if he knew what Raud was grinning about, he'd laugh too.

"You alright, bud?" Raud asked, not a trace of concern in his voice. That was another about Raud, he instantly assumed he was friends with anyone he met. Some would find that odd, or annoying, but Jaune found it refreshing. There was no awkward getting-to-know-each-other period; they could just get on with what needed doing and let the getting to know each other happen along the way.

"Yeah," Jaune said with a small smile. "I'm fine. Just…" He trailed off as his eyes drifted back to the direction the dog had gone.

"Scared of a puppy?" Jaune could hear his laughter bubbling under the surface of his otherwise calm voice.

Jaune felt himself backed into a conversational corner and, despite the burning desire to get the last word, was forced to give Raud the point.

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny. Let's go."

Raud's laugh rang out behind him as he crossed the street. It drew the attention of a few passers-by, whose eyes became several times larger and glued to him as he followed Jaune. Not the best companion for a covert investigation, Jaune realised.

A female voice called out to Raud from Jaune's left, asking for his number and if he was free later. Jaune ignored it and took the next few steps a little faster than he normally did. It wasn't the first time it had happened—and he and Raud had only met a few hours ago. It was clearly a regular occurrence for him, though Jaune didn't know how the man could handle it. Jaune felt awkward standing too close to Raud when he got that sort of attention; the thought of being the target of it made him shiver. He tried to block out Raud's response as he sped towards the next warehouse—he heard something about costing too much—and knocked firmly on the door to the warehouse office.

"Coming! Coming!" a voice called. "Won't be a moment!"

Raud had rejoined Jaune by the time the door swung open, revealing a man dressed in a messy suit and tie, who stood slightly shorter than Jaune and significantly shorter than Raud. His face was red and his breath was ragged.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" he panted.

Jaune tried to respond, but Raud cut in first. "Gentlemen?" he laughed. "I haven't seen any of those in a long time."

The man gave Raud an agitated look—it quickly turned to one of terror—and turned back to Jaune, looking several shades paler.

"Sorry," Jaune began. "Don't mind him. We were just wondering if we could talk to you for a little while—"

"About what?" the man interjected, suspicion creeping into his voice. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Jaune glanced Raud for a second before continuing. "We're from Beacon, sir. Just running some checks on recent imports and exports of Dust. We were just speaking to the gentleman across the road and he mentioned that—"

"Terry!? What'd he say? He was lying! Look, I told the police that incident with the bananas wasn't my fault! Who was to know they'd react like that?"

"No, sir, we just… Wait, what?" Jaune was looking was bemused as he had at the dog, and the sound of Raud stifling a laugh didn't help the situation.

"I _told_ them last week," the man continued, unfazed, but Jaune raised a hand to cut him off.

"We're here about Dust, sir, not… bananas."

The man blinked. "Oh… Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Oh… right. Well then, come in." He stepped away from the door and waved Jaune and Raud inside.

The office was a mess. There was paper lying almost everywhere one could fit a piece of paper. The man picked up two stacks and moved them off what Jaune realised were chairs.

"Sit down. Sit down," the man said. He seemed very cheerful and welcoming now. "So what can I do for you?" he asked as he sat in his own chair.

Jaune sat down in one of the newly vacated seats, but Raud moved to the side of the office and peered between stacks of paper into the main area of the warehouse.

"Nothing overly important," Jaune began. "We're just going from warehouse to warehouse, inquiring about the city's Dust levels."

"Dust?" The man frowned. "What's there to investigate?"

Jaune repeated the story they'd come up with at their meeting that morning. "Well, as you no doubt know, we've been having a bit of a Dust shortage in recent months." The man nodded. "Ah, good. One less thing to explain. Well we're just trying to see how much is _actually _being stored in our warehouses. We have manifests and lists, but we're just making a manual count to be safe. We've been getting by despite the shortage, but things are getting a little dicey in some areas of the city. Once we know exactly how much there is, and where its stored, we can sort out reallocations and redistributions."

The man was still frowning, but nodded along with Jaune's explanation.

"So," Jaune continued. "We just need to know how much Dust you have on hand, and when you had your last delivery. Oh, and your last outgoing shipment."

"There's none here," Raud said without turning around. Jaune shot him a look.

"I'm afraid he's right," the manager said, drawing Jaune's gaze back. "I haven't seen a grain of Dust here for at least a month. I never used to get much anyway."

"Oh…" Jaune glanced out the window Raud had been standing at. "Well, sorry we wasted your time."

The man waved off the apology. "No, no. Not at all. I'm sorry to have been of so little help. For what it's worth though," he added as he got out of his chair. "I've got a receipt here… somewhere…" Papers rustled and stacks fell to the floor but, eventually, the man waved a piece of paper triumphantly in the air. "This is the receipt for my last outgoing order of Dust. It's a bit dated—the delivery was so long ago—but it might help. You never know."

"Thank you." Jaune took the paper, glancing over it briefly before folding it up and tucking it in a pocket. "Uh… Sorry for taking up your time." He got to his feet. Raud turned away from the window and headed for the door.

"Not at all," the man said with a smile. "Glad I could be of some assistance."

Jaune nodded again and followed Raud outside.

"Well that was a damn waste of time," Raud muttered. "Where do we go now?"

Jaune sighed. "Well we've covered almost all of the warehouses around here and have just about nothing to show for it. So… I don't know."

Raud laughed bitterly. "Where did that last Dust shipment go? On the receipt."

Jaune pulled the paper out and passed it to Raud, then turned towards the harbour. He gazed out to sea, losing himself in the lights dancing on the water's surface. _What _do_ we do now? Everything seems… normal. _He sighed. Blake _had_ said that she wasn't yet convinced anything was wrong. Maybe they were chasing shadows that weren't really there. It wouldn't be the first time.

Jaune turned around as he heard Raud grunt. "What is it?"

"He wasn't kidding about not getting much Dust. His last shipment was a quarter tonne of Freeze Dust to an ice-skating rink. Very small-time."

"An ice-rink?" Jaune stepped closer and Raud handed him back the receipt. He browsed it with more care than he had the first time and was surprised at what he saw.

"This… This isn't too far from here. We could go and check it out."

Raud raised an eyebrow. "Why? It's an ice-rink. They'd have used the Dust they got from this guy by now, and have gotten another shipment from somewhere else. Do you know how quickly those places burn through Freeze Dust?"

"N-no… Do you?"

"Of course not! I don't ice-skate! What's wrong with you?"

"Oh you just seemed so sure…"

Raud rolled his eyes. "Well one thing I _am_ sure of is that there's no reason to go there. It's an ice-rink. They get Dust, use it, and then get more, and then use that. There's nothing nefarious going on there."

Jaune pursed his lips in thought. "B-but what if—"

"Gods! If you want to go, then go. All I'm saying is: there's no point."

"Okay, okay. We'll just keep looking at warehouses." He slipped the receipt back into his pocket. "I'll give this to Blake when we get back. I'm sure she'll want a—"

The ground shook. Jaune glanced around hurriedly, but saw nothing moving nearby that could have caused it. Then the tremors intensified, and he staggered to one knee. Raud stood in place, with his feet apart. The red-haired man seemed vaguely concerned, but showed no reaction other than that. Jaune tried to pick himself up, but fell back down immediately.

Somewhere, a woman screamed, and Jaune glanced around. More voices mixed into the scream, shouts of alarm and cries of pain. The strength of the earthquake increased again, and Raud stumbled to the ground. Jaune tensed in fear as he heard a violent crack. The road near his foot was cracking, forced upwards by the force of the tremors.

A loud screech echoed around them and Jaune looked up just in time to see a forklift sliding along the foreshore on its side, sparks flying. He wanted to get up, to help, but he couldn't get higher than an awkward squat without falling back down. Gritting his teeth, Jaune hunkered down to wait the quake out. But it only got stronger.

The crack in the road spread towards a nearby warehouse, and the wall of the building cracked as the ground shifted. There were more screams and Jaune tried to push himself up once more. He made it a step before falling on his side.

"Stop it!" Raud yelled. "There's nothing you can do!"

"No!" Jaune screamed back. "I have to do _something_!"

Another scream pushed Jaune to get to his feet again. Another tremor threatened to sweep his feet from under him, but he put his hands down to steady himself as his feet slipped and managed to stay upright. Taking one slow step at a time, Jaune edged onwards, towards the cries. It seemed to get easier as he went on, and it wasn't long before Jaune realised that the tremors were getting weaker. He stood and tried to run, only to stagger into a wall. He cried out in frustration as the screams went on, and he _still_ couldn't get there. People needed help, and he was supposed to provide it.

"Damn it!" he roared. A power pole crashed into the ground next to him and showered him with sparks as the transformer on top of it was smashed to pieces. Jaune shied away, covering his face, and was knocked over when something else, unseen, slammed into his back. The wall he'd been leaning on was kind enough to stop him, by slamming into his face, and he fell backwards, dazed.

"Get up!" a voice cried. It sounded like it was coming through a poorly tuned radio; Jaune could barely make any sense of it. The world spun around him, but he caught sight of something massive rushing towards him. The ground shifted as he tried to get to his feet, to get away, and he fell, defenceless.

Then something was pulling him. He flew away from the shadow that was tumbling towards him and landed on something only marginally softer than the ground. The world slowed it spinning and Jaune's vision gradually cleared. He glanced back at the building he'd slammed into and felt his throat suddenly go dry. The entire wall of the building had collapsed and smashed apart on the ground.

"You alright, bud?" the voice asked. Now that Jaune's head had cleared, he realised it was Raud.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered, still overwhelmed from his close brush with death. "I… I think so."

"Great. Then can you get off me?" Jaune glanced down and, sure enough, Raud was smiling up at him. The red-haired man shifted and bucked Jaune off and onto the ground, dusted himself off and got to his feet.

That was when Jaune realised that the earthquake had stopped. He put a hand on his knee and pushed himself up but before he could straighten, his head spun again and he fell back to the ground.

"Don't try and get up." Suddenly, Raud was kneeling beside him, with a hand on his shoulder. "You hit your head pretty hard back there. We should get you checked out."

Jaune wanted to deny it, he wanted to get back up and help the people that had been screaming—which had stopped, he noticed—but his head was pounding now. Everything seemed to be cast in a shade of red that pulsated with each throb. With a groan, Jaune laid back and gazed up at the slowly reddening sky. He pulled his scroll out of his pocket and slid it open. He tried to reach out with a thumb to press the _Contacts_ button, but the scroll slipped out of his grip and fell. Raud caught it and stood up.

"Who?"

Jaune groaned again and slung one of his arms over his eyes—the sun was starting to hurt his eyes. "Pyrrha."

"You got it, boss."

Jaune closed his eyes as heard the faint sound of a dial tone and tried to mentally quash the constant thudding in his head.

"It's Raud…" Pyrrha hadn't taken long to pick up. "No, no. Jaune's alright. He hit his head pretty bad, but he's still conscious. We'll get him checked out at Beacon, and he'll be right as rain."

"H-how is she?" Jaune called out. "And Nora."

"Are you and the fuzzball…? Good." He lowered the scroll slightly and turned towards Jaune. "They're fine; no damage."

Jaune sighed with relief.

"So can you guys come by? I don't think Jaune will be able to walk back to Beacon in his state. What? … No, he'll be _fine_. A hit to the head like that would knock anyone off his feet for a while. Just… Okay… Okay… Yes… Well _he's_ not going anywhere… Sorry. Battlefield humour: it's always been a flaw of mine… Alright. See you then." There was a click as Raud ended the call. "They're on their way. Shouldn't be long."

Jaune nodded. A wave of nausea had just swept over him, and he didn't trust himself to open his mouth.

"You okay?"

Jaune started to nod, but shook his head instead. The nausea was fading away, but shaking his head made the thudding pain flare up, and he groaned.

"Ah, you'll be alright." Raud patted him on the shoulder and handed back the scroll before getting to his feet and looking around. "Are earthquakes this frequent in Vale? The city doesn't seem built for them."

Jaune shook his head. "Not… really." Speaking was almost as painful as shaking his head, but he forced himself on. "Grimm attacks used to be… more common… until… a few months… ago."

"Huh… That's strange." Raud's voice sounded thoughtful. Jaune grunted in acknowledgement. "I'm going to head over there," Raud continued. "See if anyone needs any help. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

Jaune would have glared at the man if he could, but instead he settled for another grunt. Raud walked away with a laugh. "Ah, I kill myself sometimes," the man chuckled as he left Jaune behind.

Silence fell over Jaune, and he sighed. _Damn it,_ he thought. _Typical me. Injured by a gods-damned _wall_. How do I keep doing this?_ He laid in the road and stewed in his incompetence for what felt like years.

His silence broke when a car pulled up nearby. Now, looking back at those years of mulling over his failures, it seemed like seconds. He groaned. _I can't even judge time anymore. How hard did I hit my head?_

"_Jaune_! Jaune, are you okay!" a voice cried, layered with fear. _Pyrrha_, he realised. He raised a hand, and smiled as she wrapped it in both of hers.

"'M fine," he muttered.

"You look like hell," Pyrrha muttered.

Jaune chuckled. "Nothing new." His head flared in agony as Pyrrha whacked him.

"Where's the big guy?" Nora's voice called out.

Jaune lowered his arm and, despite the pain, looked around. Raud was nowhere to be seen. "He said he was going to see if people needed help."

Pyrrha sighed. "Nora, can you go and look for him?"

"Aye, aye!" Nora saluted and took off at a run down the street.

An arm squeezed under Jaune's shoulders and lifted him into a sitting position. "Come on," Pyrrha said. "Let's get you in the car."

Jaune groaned as she lifted him to his feet. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they edged towards the car. By the time she lowered him into the back seat, they heard a shout. Nora was running towards them, alone.

"He's not coming," she called out as she approached. She reached the front of the car and came to a stop. "He said he's going to stay and help out here."

Pyrrha nodded and closed Jaune's door. They both got in the front seat and Jaune toppled onto his side, laying across the back seat. The car started and Pyrrha swung it in a U-turn before speeding away from the coast, towards Beacon.

* * *

The sun cast the room in an orange glow as it sank towards the horizon. A shaft of light shone through a gap in the curtains and fell on Jaune's sleeping face. There was one bed in the small ward, with chairs on either side. Pyrrha watched the peaceful, relaxed face of her slumbering husband and smiled. She reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind his ear. He shifted at her touch, mumbling something indiscernible.

The door creaked as it opened and Pyrrha turned to see Raud stepping quietly into the room. He paused as he met her gaze, but quickly recovered and stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind him as he slipped into the empty chair across the bed.

"How is he?" the red-haired man asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"Fine," Pyrrha replied, turning her gaze back to Jaune. "The doctor said he'll be back to normal by tomorrow." Raud breathed a sigh of relief. "How are things at the docks? You weren't gone as long as I thought you'd be."

The big man grunted. "Not great, but the workers there said they could handle it. I helped shift some debris around, but they didn't need much more than that."

Pyrrha looked at the man and frowned. "Well that couldn't have taken two hours…"

"Knucklehead and I found out about an ice-rink not far from the foreshore that received a delivery of Dust a while ago. I didn't think anything would be there, but he wanted to check it out anyway. I decided to take a look on the way home."

"Find anything?"

He shook his head. "The place shut down a couple of weeks ago apparently. Seems pretty run down now. No Dust there. How about you and the fuzzball? Find anything in your part of the city?"

"No," Pyrrha sighed. "Nothing out of the ordinary at least. Though from what we saw, the city's Dust supplies are worse than we thought. None of the warehouses we went to had _any_ Dust. I can understand a few having shipped it off to businesses and facilities that need it, but _none_ of them? I just don't know where it's all going."

"Did the warehouses have any proof of delivery receipts?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Everything _seemed_ in order but… I can't imagine that there's no Dust stored in the city. We can't be running _that_ low."

Raud hummed as he pursed his lips in thought. "Maybe we're looking on the wrong side of the wall." Pyrrha frowned. "Maybe, if there's less than there should be in the city, the Dust is being smuggled _out_."

"Why would anyone be smuggling Dust out of the city? We've barely had enough to keep ourselves running for months now."

"So maybe they've been smuggling it out for months now…"

The realisation struck Pyrrha like a thunderclap. He was right… They'd been running low on Dust for months, for no apparent reason. The Dust suppliers had stated that there were issues in the mines, and less refinable Dust was being recovered. But Pyrrha and Jaune had spent the last week in a Dust mining town that, other than the attacks from the Black Talon, had been functioning as normal.

"Or maybe," she muttered, "it's not get smuggled out. Maybe it's getting smuggled _away_ before it even gets in the walls."

Raud grinned. "Ah, clever. I like it. Now _that's_ something to look into."

Pyrrha got to her feet. "I should go and tell Blake…." She trailed off as she looked down at the immobile form of her husband. Raud noticed her guilty look and patted Jaune on the arm.

"Go," he said. "I'll sit with the knucklehead for a while."

"Are… are you sure?"

He grinned, flashing his teeth. "O' course. Go on. He'll be here when you get back."

"Thank you," Pyrrha said. "I won't be long." She dashed into the corridor outside, nearly bowling over a nurse. Leaving apologies trailing behind her, Pyrrha dashed through the infirmary. Blake needed to hear this new development, and quickly. Pyrrha was finally convinced that something was going on in the city, and now she was as determined as the Faunus to stop it.

* * *

**A/N: Apologies for the late release. I've had a busy few days, though that's not really an excuse as I really _should_ have been prepared for them. But, nevertheless, a chapter is here. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**And my sincerest apologies to lochnessmonsta8. Sorry for ruining your Friday. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. ;)**


	11. Determination

**A/N: Never let it be said that the holidays prevented me from releasing a chapter. And not only that, but the longest chapter I've released of A Red Stained Remnant so far. Hope you guys enjoy it. And Happy Holidays. :)**

* * *

It was dark when Ruby arrived in Algard village. She'd ridden an intercontinental airship from Vale to the airbase on the Eastern coast of the Western Dragon, then a smaller airship from there to the outskirts of the village itself. She jumped to the ground and sucked in a lungful of fresh, clean air. After being so used to the smell of Vale, the air here smelt… cleaner.

An attendant called out to her from the airship, and she turned back. "The village is just at the bottom of the hill here," the man called out. "The village Elder will be waiting for you at the gate. We'll be back in a couple of days to pick you up. Good luck, Miss Rose."

Ruby nodded, and the man swung the airship's door shut. She watched the ship take off, the downward rush of air making her hair dance frantically, and turned away as it blended into the night sky.

The village was visible from where she stood, though only as a collection of lights in the distant. Still, she was grateful for that; the clouds had covered the moon and stars, and it was pitch black around her. Taking in another breath, Ruby searched the area around her with her aura, searching for any signs of Grimm. She'd always been less adept at that than Ren or Blake, but she could sense danger coming from within a twenty five metre radius, which was better than nothing—especially on a night like this.

She couldn't sense anything. Keeping her aura active nevertheless, she started down the gentle slope. At the nearest edge of the village, there was a smaller light visible, illuminating two figures.

She stopped as a gust of wind blew past. Her hair whipped in her face, and Ruby raised a hand to hold it back. Her jacket waved up and down as the wind blew it back, flitting about like her old cape had. Ruby took the moment to pause and appreciate how awesome she looked—if only anyone had been around to see it.

Catching herself, Ruby quashed the childish voice in her mind. _Stop it,_ she admonished her childish inner voice. _I don't have time for that any more. I need to be mature… dependable. The only reason I'm here is to prove I can look after myself._ And so, mentally slapping herself, Ruby headed down the hill once more.

At the base of the hill, Ruby found the village gate. Looking left and right, she saw that the village was encircled in a ten-metre-high, solid stone wall. The gate was forged of steel, and was the only break she could see in the wall. Though, in this light, she couldn't see very far.

The gate was open, and an old man and woman were waiting just outside it. The man was holding an oil lantern and peering into the gloom. _That's weird_, Ruby thought. _Who still uses lanterns?_ The woman was standing at the man's side, leaning on an ornately carved wooden staff.

Taking a breath, Ruby stepped into the ring of light. The eyes of the watchers latched onto her in an instant. They didn't move—didn't react at all—but the intensity of their gazes stopped Ruby in her tracks. They _were_ old but Ruby could tell by their eyes alone that they were warriors. Looking at them with fresh eyes, it was easy to notice their muscular frame. The man stood with a slight hunch, but his broad shoulders and thick arms hinted at a strength and willingness to fight, even at his age. His hand hovered inches from the hilt of a sword at his belt and his eyes turned away to scan the darkness around them.

"Well met, Huntress," the woman said. The voice snapped Ruby out of her hesitation, and she stepped forward. The woman walked forward to meet her, leaving her companion at the gate. He didn't react, just continued to search the surrounding gloom.

"Well met indeed," the woman continued with a smile. She looked as powerful as the man accompanying her. She carried no weapons but her staff, but something about the way she carried herself told Ruby that the staff was enough. "Thank you for coming."

Ruby smiled back and shook her head. "Thank you for having me." _It gave me an excuse to get away, after all. _"Though I still don't really know what it is I'm meant to do here…"

The woman nodded and turned back to the gate. "Come inside, we can talk in safety."

The man was still staring into the darkness, unmoving. He blinked when the woman laid a hand on is shoulder, but, other than that, showed no reaction.

"Burr?" The woman's voice was full of concern. The man grunted at her use of what Ruby guessed was his name.

"They're coming," he said. "Not close, but closing in."

"Can you see?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. Just signs of approach."

The woman sighed. "We'll post an extra guard tonight."

"And make sure the others keep their blades close at hand." The man finally turned his head away from the night and looked at the woman. She nodded at him and stepped through the gate. His gaze turned to Ruby, and the Huntress froze. There was something almost hawk-like about the man's eyes. It felt like he was staring right through her, seeing every crack—every vulnerability.

He nodded. "Well met, Huntress." Then he stepped through the gate, and Ruby could breathe again. She followed them into the village and, as the gates slammed shut behind her, the man spoke again. "If they haven't attacked by the morning, I'll send Odin to clear them out—or drive them away."

The woman, who Ruby now realised was the Elder of the village, nodded. "Send him with his team," she added. "The Huntress can accompany them." Both of their gazes turned on her, and Ruby smiled nervously.

"W-what?"

The Elder smiled. "Walk with me, Huntress. There is much to discuss. Burr, go now. No doubt your wife worries." He glanced at Ruby once again before bowing and taking his leave. The Elder watched him go and, once he passed out of sight, laid a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Come, Huntress."

"Call me Ruby."

The Elder smiled. "Ruby…" she muttered, as if trying it out. "A good name. Well, Ruby, I am Ymir. None in the village may call me by name, but feel free to yourself."

Ruby frowned. "Is that… okay?"

Ymir laughed. "Of course. It'll be refreshing to be called by name for once. Think nothing of it, child."

Ruby winced slightly at being called _child_, but smiled at Ymir's good humour. "Well then, Ymir, what exactly is it that I'm doing here?"

* * *

The Elder walked Ruby through the village, explaining their history as she went. For generations, the village had stood in the middle of the darkness of Remnant. Beset on all sides by Grimm, the people had fought tooth and nail for everything that stood within the walls. Because they were in nearly constant conflict, and weren't exactly a large community, everyone in the village was expected to fight. The only ones exempted were children too small to fight, and women that were with child.

The men, the women, the young, and the old. Everyone fought. Ruby had noticed on their walk that there were very few elderly people among the population, but Ymir had explained that rather simply: the older a citizen was, the more they were expected to fight. It wasn't the old growing too weak for battle, and being forced to fight anyway, that resulted in their death. The people of the village weren't allowed to grow weak. The older citizens were expected to risk their lives for the younger fighters. Those with more experience, those who'd fought for longer, were often better soldiers—they had lived long enough to _get_ old after all—and they protected the lives of those with life still yet to live.

That was why they fought, Ymir explained. For the right to live. The old gave their lives for the young and, in turn, the young were expected to live that life as best as they could—so as to respect to sacrifices of the elderly—and to give their own lives when they aged. It was a simple exchange of goods: give life for life. The society depended on—thrived upon—paying such sacrifices forward. Those who gave their lives had no guarantee that they sacrifice would be worth it; it fell upon the living to make sure it was—with the knowledge that the next generation would do the same for them.

They all lived for one another, with no thoughts for themselves.

It was one for all, and all or nothing.

And so they needed to be the best. The village was only as strong as its weakest member, so they all had to be as strong as possible. That was Ruby's job. There was a group of teenagers—seventeen and eighteen-year-olds—who were old enough to join the village's main force. Rather than being held in reserve with the other children, in case of an emergency, they would go on raiding parties, protect the village's borders, and train the next generation. She wasn't here to train them, per se, but to judge them.

Even though the village was so far removed from the kingdoms, they still knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were Remnant's best warriors. So whenever a team from the village was ready to come of age, a Huntsmen was called in to judge them. If they were deemed ready, the team was admitted to the main forces and the members became full adults in the eyes of the village. If they were found wanting, then the Huntsmen would stay and give them specialised training to make them ready. The village didn't have the luxury of stubborn pride; if they needed help, they'd ask it.

And that was why Ruby was there. It sounded easy enough. She was a little disappointed actually; it would be hard to use this to prove her capability to Ren and everyone at home. She sat in the empty hut Ymir had led her to and thought. It was often a bad idea—she went on so many missions to _stop_ herself from thinking—and now that she had time to think about it, a part of Ruby was feeling guilty for leaving.

She _knew_ they'd worry. She'd never done anything like this before; just up and leaving without a word. So she knew they wouldn't take it well. But she also knew that it was necessary. She'd be gone for a few days at the most, maybe a week if the team she was here to judge wasn't up to scratch, and then she'd be home, alive and well. They'd worry, they'd be angry, and they'd blame her for putting them through it. But she'd show them this time. After this, they'd see she could look after herself.

She kept telling herself that, over and over. But Ren's voice echoed in the back of her mind, filling her with doubt. _You're hurting us just as much as you're hurting yourself! _Ruby closed her eyes and tried to shut the voice out, but it was as insistent as Ren was in person. _And we know that, at this rate, there's going to be a day when you don't come back, and that _terrifies_ us! _

"Damn it." Ruby clenched her hands into fists. She could feel her nails cutting into the skin of her palms but, as ever, the pain drove away the voices. _They're trying to hold me back,_ she told herself. _I wouldn't be able to get anywhere if I do what they want. I'm a Huntress; I can't spend my days resting and doing nothing._ Ren's voice crept back in-between her thoughts, and she dug her nails in deeper to drive it further away.

_Ruby, just come out and talk to me… please?_

Ruby gasped and gritted her teeth as Yang's voice echoed in her ears.

_Come on, Sis… Let me help—_

A Beowolf howled in the distance. The voices vanished and Ruby was on her feet, already reaching for Crescent Rose. The howl faded away, echoing off the hills around the village, and silence reigned once more. Ruby relaxed. It was well outside the walls, she realised. It probably wasn't even within sight of the village; sound seemed to travel further out in the wilderness.

She laid down on the small cot that was all the furniture the hut had and closed her eyes. Someone walked past near her hut, but she ignored the sound. Probably someone going to check on the walls. Just because the Beowolf was far away now, didn't mean it wasn't getting closer. Ruby had only been in the village for an hour or two, and she already respected them for how hard they fought to live. There was a reason no kingdoms had been built on the Western Dragon, but these people were living as best as they could despite the constant danger.

The thought made Ruby smile. If they could live long, fulfilling lives here, then maybe there was hope for her as well. When death and destruction were constant threats, heartbreak and resentment seemed paltry things indeed.

Ruby sighed as she sank into the cot. It was surprisingly comfortable, and she could feel sleep washing over her. Yang and Ren stayed out of her head, thankfully. The only voice that rang through Ruby's head as she at last drifted off was her own.

_Maybe I should call Weiss…_

* * *

At dawn, there was a knock at the door. Ruby jerked awake and peered towards the offending noise. The shadows of a pair of feet was visible through the crack under the door. They knocked again.

"Madam Huntress?" a young voice called.

"Yeah, yeah," Ruby called back. "Give me a minute."

"Of course, Ma'am."

Ruby sighed. _'Madam'? _She swung out of the cot and reached for her combat outfit, folded neatly on top of her pack. After hurriedly getting dressed, she opened the door to the hut and saw a small girl waiting attentively outside.

"The Elder would like to see you, Ma'am," the girl said, her voice bright. She gazed up at Ruby with a mix of awe and disbelief.

Ruby smiled. "Sure. Lead the way…?"

"Hel, Ma'am," the girl answered brightly.

"Lead the way, Hel."

The girl led the way through the village, almost skipping as she walked, and glancing back excitedly at Ruby every few seconds. Ruby watched her with an amused smile. She had been like that when she was younger. She could still remember her reaction upon first meeting Goodwitch. How things change…?

A few villagers called out to Hel or bowed respectfully to Ruby as they passed. Hel responded with enthusiasm to every greeting, while the bowing made Ruby feel a little uncomfortable. Eventually though, they reached a larger hut—more house-like than most of the homes in the village—that bore an ornately decorated exterior. _Ymir's house,_ Ruby reasoned. No other building looked as extravagant as this one, and she doubted another villager would be privileged over the Elder.

Sure enough, when they entered, Ymir was sitting across the room from them. There was a door behind the elderly woman, but other than that, there appeared to be no other rooms in the building. The room they walked into was long, taking up most of the building, with a large fire pit in the centre, and cushioned mats encircling it. Across the pit there was another line of mats, placed in front of Ymir's large chair.

"Ah, Ruby, come in." Ymir waved her in. As Ruby stepped around the fire pit, she noticed the four teenagers kneeling in front of Ymir. They all turned to look at her as she approached.

The one nearest was a lanky boy with black hair hanging to his jaw. He had green eyes, almost obscured by a hanging fringe, and very pale skin. A thin sword hung at his waist, along with a dagger. He watched Ruby with an expression of discontent—like her presence was an intrusion. His eyebrows drew together as she walked closer, and his lips pursed as he examined her.

The next in line was another boy, only a little bulkier looking than the first, with light brown hair and shockingly golden eyes. They seemed to glisten as the firelight reflected off them, giving him an almost lupine appearance. The boy inclined his head to Ruby, causing the light to dance through his eyes once more. He seemed more impressed by the presence of a Huntress—some vain part of Ruby decided she liked him more than the other boy. His back was rigid and straight as he sat, no doubt held that way by the spear on his back. He also carried a short sword—barely more than a dagger—at his waist.

Third in the cue was a girl, with flowing red hair that hung to the middle of her back and yellow eyes. Ruby could tell just by looking at her that she was a Faunus, and probably a wolf as well. Every wolf Faunus she'd ever encountered had the same yellow eyes, though they seemed bland in comparison to the previous boy's shining, golden irises. The tips of the girl's canines could be seen pushing at her lips, despite her mouth being closed, and Ruby knew that, if she were to look at the girl's hands, there would be a set of retracted claws at the ends of her fingers. She carried a pair of wickedly curved daggers—the blades each a foot long—on her belt. The sheaths hung at the small of her back, crossing over so that, upon drawing the blades, she would be wielding them in a reverse grip.

The final watcher in the line was another boy, the largest of the bunch. He had short cut hair and unnervingly dark eyes. His irises were so dark that they blended into his pupil, giving his eyes a disturbing black and white dichotomy. His eyes seemed to stare through her, similar to Burr's the night before, and Ruby almost shuddered at the sudden feeling of vulnerability. The boy was well-muscled—the shape of them stood out through his clothes—and had a longbow strapped to his back, as well as a quiver of arrows at his belt. He also carried, just next to the quiver, a small, one-handed battle-axe.

"These will be your students for the day," Ymir said with a smile. "Children, meet your assessor."

Three of them nodded politely, but the first boy snorted under his breath and turned away from Ruby with a look of disdain. The girl shot him a glare, which he pointedly ignored.

"Your task today will be a simple one," Ymir continued. "Odin." The boy with the near-black eyes turned back to Ymir. "Your father noticed a pack of Grimm near the village last night. He requested that, should they leave us be during the night, you be sent out—with your team—to exterminate them." The boy nodded. "And seeing as your assessor arrived at the same time, I have decided to make that your test. Should the Huntress deem the test to be an unfit trial however, another shall be found. I'll leave it your discretion, Ruby." Ruby nodded, then turned her gaze back onto her 'students'. "Very well. All is ready. Make your introductions outside the walls, should you feel the need. Now make haste: the longer those monsters roam near our walls, the great the risk to the village."

The five of them left, walking past Hel, who was watching from the door with a look of excitement. Ruby gave the girl a smile as she passed, and stopped outside to wait for the others. The disdainful-looking boy left the building last and stopped at the door, kneeling next to Hel. He placed a hand on her shoulder and said a few quiet words to her. Ruby couldn't hear them, but she could see Hel pout in response. The boy smiled—the first expression other than discontent or irritation she'd seen on his face—and patted her affectionately on the head. He whispered a few more words into her ear, and the girl squealed with delight and wrapped her arms around his neck. The boy laughed and picked her up for a moment, swinging her in a circle before placing her back on the ground. The girl giggled excitedly and, after sending a bow Ruby's way, shot off down the street like a bullet.

The boy watched her go for a few seconds before standing up. He shared a quick smile with the girl in the group, and then returned to his former look of irritation. The other two were standing a few metres away with their backs to the proceedings. They glanced back and, once they were sure that all goodbyes had been made, started towards the gate.

Ruby followed a few metres behind the group, eyeing them over. They all carried themselves well. All four of them seemed ready for combat at any moment, even though they were still inside the village. She nodded approvingly. If they were looking to prove themselves, then they were already off to a good start.

The boy with the black eyes—the leader, Ruby had realised—turned to face her as the gates shut behind them. He bowed slightly, keeping his eyes on hers.

"Huntress," he said. "Thank you for coming to test us."

Ruby was taken aback. She forced her gaping mouth shut and racked her brains for a response. She bowed back, buying a few seconds.

"Uh… D-don't mention it…" There was a snort to her right. Ruby refused to look; she knew where it had come from. "Best of luck to you all today."

The leader smiled and nodded. "My name is Odin," he said, patting a hand to his chest. "This—" He put a hand on the shoulder of his golden-eyed friend. "—is Silas. And this is Fenrir." The girl nodded. "And Lopt." The boy scoffed again and looked away. "Forgive Lopt his… temperament. He means nothing by it."

Ruby glanced at Lopt momentarily before smiling at Odin. "Sure thing."

Odin smiled. "Well met, Huntress. We shall be in your care."

"Call me Ruby."

He hesitated for a second before nodding. "R-Ruby…" Then he smiled. "Well, now that that's out of the way, shall we be off?"

Odin's teammates nodded with a murmur of agreement, and Ruby gestured for him to take the lead. He nodded and spun away from the village. Swinging his bow off his back and into his left hand, Odin led the way up the gentle incline Ruby had approached the village from the night before. Silas swung his spear off his back and gripped it in his left hand, holding the point near the ground. Lopt and Fenrir pulled their blades out a few inches before letting them slide back—making sure they were free in their sheaths.

As they reached the top of the hill, Odin stopped. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose; the other three stood closer to him and glanced around. Ruby reached out with her aura, searching for any Grimm, but felt none nearby. Odin placed his right hand over his right eye and blinked his left eye a few times before opening it wide. His iris and pupil contracted, leaving his eye mostly white, and he let out a slow breath.

"One mile…" he breathed. "Straight ahead. They've found a boar, and are occupied with it. If we move quickly, we'll be able to sneak up on them. I see… eight Beowolves." He closed his left eye again and let his hand drop to his side. After a few deeps breaths, he opened both his eyes and marched on again.

Ruby watched him as they walked with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Had he really just been able to sense Grimm from a _mile away_? Forget _sensing_ them; he said he'd _seen_ them. What kind of person could see that far? Even Faunus could only see better in the dark; distance wasn't really a factor that improved unless they were the right type of Faunus, and even then… a _mile_?

"His semblance," Silas said, snapping Ruby out of her thoughts. He was glancing back at her and smiling slightly at the confused expression on her face.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "A semblance…? You're aura-users?"

Lopt scoffed once again and this time Fenrir punched him on the shoulder. As he flinched away, Silas continued. "Of course. Huntsmen and Huntresses came here a couple of generations ago and taught our warriors at the time about auras and semblances. It's been an integral part of our training ever since."

"Right…" It made sense. Living in an isolated community like this, they'd need every advantage they could get. _Well that ought to make things more interesting._

They covered the mile at a run, passing groves of trees and rocky outcrops. After almost ten minutes, Odin brought them up short. They were all breathing heavily, but Lopt seemed somewhat more out of breath than the rest. Ruby took note of it and glanced back at Odin. The boy was peering down a hill, into a nearby grove. It wasn't large enough to be a forest, but it was large enough that Ruby would hate to be surrounded by a pack of Grimm in it; there would be lots of room for them to hide.

"In there," he said. "I can see them moving in between the trees."

Ruby peered into the darkness of the grove and saw nothing. His eyesight really was impressive, she had to admit. Provided they actually were there, and he wasn't just making it up. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and set it on the string. No one moved for a few seconds; their eyes were trained on Odin, who's eyes were trained on the trees. After half a minute, he drew the arrow back to his ear and raised the bow. He let out a breath and let the arrow fly.

It zipped into the grove, narrowly missing a tree, and hit something. There was a roar of pain and a whimper. Definitely a Beowolf. Ruby glanced at Odin with a little admiration. He was an excellent shot too.

Silas stood next to Ruby and planted his spear point first in the ground. He formed a complicated sign with his hands and closed his eyes. Fenrir and Lopt drew their blades, while Odin readied another arrow. He let it fly, followed quickly by another one, before taking a step down the hill.

Ruby glanced towards the grove as the Beowolves roared. It was a cry of anger now—a war cry. The trees rustled and, seconds later, seven Beowolves burst into view. One of them had two arrows jutting of its shoulder, inches from its neck, while the others seemed in perfect condition. Their muzzles were all stained red with blood; no doubt the boar Odin had mentioned was lying in the brush somewhere, half-devoured.

Odin clicked his tongue and let a fourth arrow fly. It took the injured Beowolf in the throat and it toppled to the ground, clawing at the wooden shaft. Fenrir and Lopt charged ahead of Odin, blades flashing in the sunlight. Fenrir let out a vicious roar as she ran, almost as terrifying as that of the Grimm. Odin watched them with his fingers on the fletching of another arrow, but he didn't draw it.

"Si," Odin said, with a glance at Silas. "Get Lopt."

Silas nodded, his eyes still closed. He took another breath and tensed his body. Nothing happened as far as Ruby could see, but Odin seemed satisfied. He drew the arrow and set it on the string, still just watching. This arrow seemed different from the others; the head was glowing with faint lines of red. _Dust_, she realised. _Somehow forged into the arrowhead. _

Odin continued to watch the fray, so Ruby followed his gaze. Two Beowolves had already fallen, and both Fenrir and Lopt had blood on the blades. The four remaining wolves encircled the pair, growling. The two stood back to back, weapons ready. Fenrir said something, and Lopt glanced over his shoulder at her. The pair shared a grin and then both leapt at the enemy.

Lopt ducked one blow and deflected another with his dagger, using the force of the blow to spin himself around and slice across the beast's abdomen with his sword. Fenrir didn't dodge the first blow that came at her; she swung a dagger to meet it and sliced the offending hand off at the wrist. Lopt rolled forwards and came up behind the wolf he'd almost disembowelled and stabbed it through the spine with his dagger. The monster toppled forwards, twitched a few times and lay still.

The Beowolf with one remaining hand cowered away from Fenrir in pain. Fenrir glanced at it for an instant and turned to face her other opponent. She called out Odin's name as she turned her back on the beast and he drew his arrow back and released it faster than Ruby could follow. The arrow tore through the beast's hide and the Dust ignited it from the inside. The monster screamed and clawed at its chest, trying to put out the flames, but only succeeded in tearing open its own torso and finishing itself off.

Lopt flipped backwards to dodge a swing and righted himself just as another claw flashed towards his face. Ruby took a step forward in fear; he had no time to dodge. The claw smashed into the side of his head with enough force to tear flesh, even with an active aura. Lopt fell sideways and Ruby opened to mouth to cry out in alarm, but stopped as he cartwheeled to the side—moving with the force of the blow—and stabbed his sword in between the wolf's ribs and into its heart.

He drew his sword out with a _snick_ and glanced at Fenrir. He looked fine. Ruby couldn't help but be confused again. A blow like that should have sliced his face open, maybe even knocked him out. Had he been unprepared, he should have had aura shock. But he was fine. She glanced at Silas, who was smiling slightly. Beads of sweat ran down Silas' forehead, and he was panting slightly. He opened one eye and glanced at Ruby.

"My semblance." His eye closed and he worked to slow his breathing. Odin glanced at him for a moment before turning his gaze back to the battle.

There was one left, larger than the others. Fenrir dropped to the ground as she charged and slid between its legs. She slashed at its knees as she passed under it and the beast fell to the ground with a cry and a loud snap. The Faunus called Odin's name again, and he fired another arrow just as quickly as before. This one seemed to be an ordinary arrow; nothing exciting happened as it lanced through the monster's eye. The beast toppled forward and Ruby could make out the shape of the arrowhead poking out of the back of its skull. Fenrir got to her feet and flicked her daggers, sending drops of blood scattering onto the grass. Then all was quiet.

The four warriors were all panting—some more than others. Fenrir sheathed her daggers and reached a hand out to Lopt. He knocked her hand away, turned and stormed back up the hill. Ruby watched in concern as hurt flashed across Fenrir's face, and then raised an eyebrow as it vanished just as quickly.

"Well?" Lopt asked as he came to a stop in front of Ruby.

She turned her gaze onto him and pursed her lips in thought. "You handled this extremely well," she said. "I'll give you that. But a pack of Beowolves that size isn't really a good test…"

"I agree," Odin said. He'd already covered his right eye and his left iris and pupil had contracted. "There's a few more Grimm nearby. I think they heard the commotion; they're on their way here."

"Where from?" Fenrir asked as she reached the top of the hill.

Odin pointed behind him. "I think we'll have a few minutes before they get here."

Ruby glanced in the direction he'd pointed and, sure enough, there were black shapes approaching in the distance. She nodded. "Looks like that should be a big enough pack. If you can exterminate these ones as well as you did those—" She pointed at the already vaporising Beowolf corpses. "—then I'll say you've passed."

They all nodded and—except for Lopt—grinned. Fenrir and Lopt headed towards the oncoming enemies, drawing and releasing their weapons again. Lopt laid a hand on her shoulder, saying something quietly into her ear. She smiled at him, kissed the tips of two fingers and pressed the fingers to his cheek.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "What's with those two?" she asked no one in particular.

Silas answered. "They were consorting only six months ago—"

"Consorting?"

He frowned. "What word would you use…? 'Dating'? 'In love'?"

"Oh… what happened?"

"Lopt ended it," Silas said with a shrug, as if it was nothing.

"But…" _They still seem so close._ "She was _okay_ with that?"

Odin burst out laughing. "Fenrir? Okay with it?" he chuckled. "Of course not! She'd been saying only the day before that they were made for one another—meant to be married. She was devastated for _days_!"

_'Days'?_ Ruby frowned. _The way they say it, you'd think she'd been torn up about it for years. _"But they seem so… friendly…"

"Well, of course," Odin said with a confused look. "Why wouldn't they be?"

"Because he broke her heart…?" They both looked they were having trouble wrapping their heads around Ruby's question. And she was struggling to wrap her head around why they'd be confused.

"And she got over it," Silas said. "Pain fades. Wounds heal. He may not love her anymore, but they still have the qualities that attracted them to each other in the first place. So they remain friends. They might not be _together_, but they still enjoy one another's company."

"There's no sense in wasting time being upset about it," Odin added. "There's too much else to life to worry about that. Besides—" He jabbed Silas in the side. "—odds are he's going to fall back in love with her again."

Silas grinned back. "Well if Fen has anything to say about it, he won't have a choice."

They both laughed, but Ruby was too deep in thought at this point to notice. It made sense, in a way. They lived their lives so precariously, and they were always at risk of death, so it made sense for them move on from things quickly. With no guarantee of living to see tomorrow, there was no point in holding grudges. _But I'm just the same_, Ruby realised. Working as a Huntress, there was no guarantee one would make it back alive from a mission. Anything could go wrong, and at any time.

_Weiss…_

Ruby couldn't stop the heiress' face from drifting into her mind. If they were right, then Ruby really had no excuse for avoiding contact with her. And they _were_ right, Ruby could see that. But, despite the logic, she was still afraid. _Take a page from their book_, Yang's voice said to her. _Isn't it a little selfish to act the way you have been? These people have far less in life than you do, and yet they're happier. Shouldn't that tell you something?_

Ruby pulled out her scroll and eyed it with trepidation. She needed to call Weiss. Soon. Odin was right: there was no sense in wasting time. And who knew, maybe they could fall back in love as well… Ruby shook her head. _Maybe _she_ can fall back in love… I never stopped…_ She shook her head again, harder. _Don't get your hopes too high, Ruby._

"Here they come!" Fenrir's voice echoing up the hill snapped Ruby out of her internal monologue. The Grimm were fifty metres away from Lopt and Fenrir, and picking up speed. It was a mixed pack: three Beowolves, two Ursai and a Deathstalker the same size as the Ursai—a young one. None of them hesitated; they attacked as one.

Odin sent arrows into the enemy line. He injured two of the wolves and slowed the rest down, enough so that Fenrir and Lopt could attack in relative safety. They fell on the enemy in a flurry of flashing blades. Blood sprayed.

Ruby put a hand on Crescent Rose, reassuring herself. Silas was holding his strange stance again, concentrating on the pair fighting in front of them. Odin was firing arrows at the Deathstalker, keeping it off Fenrir and Lopt. After it was hit in the stinger with a Freeze Dust arrow, the scorpion rushed up the hill.

"Si, switch to me!" Odin roared as he slung his bow over his shoulder and drew his axe.

"You're covered!" Silas yelled a second later.

Odin grinned and threw himself at the monster. He dove as its claws flashed towards him and slipped in between them. An instant later, he was on his feet and bringing his axe down. It chopped through the thin plating at what Ruby would call the Deathstalker's shoulder—the joint between one of its claws and its body. The claw came off in two quick blows, and the monster shrieked. The other claw slammed into Odin, but a golden aura flared around him and he merely rolled away from the blow and jumped to his feet, unscathed.

Silas grunted as the blow landed; obviously each blow was an effort for him. Ruby thought she had an idea of his semblance now: he could enhance other people's auras. There was probably more to it—no semblance that useful came without a catch—but the end result was that his teammates were impervious to blows that should normally have knocked them out.

Something attracted the Deathstalker; instead of pursuing Odin as he rolled away, it continued its charge up the hill.

"Si! Look out!" Odin cried.

Ruby reached for Crescent Rose, but stopped as Silas' eyes opened and he snatched his spear out of the ground. His eyes blazed like the sun and the light danced in his light brown hair as he stepped forward. The claw was around him and closing by the time he attacked. With an impossibly fast flick of his spear, he butted the claw with the haft end and knocked the claw over his head; it snapped shut inches above him.

Silas spun the way his flick was turning him and, when he came around in a full circle, stabbed the spear into the shoulder of the monster's last claw. It squealed and tried to pull its claw back, but the limb hung limply and pathetically, dragging along the ground. Silas danced away, jabbing with the spear in an attempt to keep the creature away. Seconds later, Odin appeared next to him with an arrow drawn and ready to fire.

The arrow took the Deathstalker in one of its eyes, and it retreated, lashing out with its stinger as it went. Odin fired again, at its injured claw, freezing it to the ground with another Freeze Dust arrow. As the beast tugged at the ice, they both attacked. They danced back and forth, perfectly in sync, and after a few seconds, the scorpion shuddered and died.

Ruby took her hand off Crescent Rose and breathed out. She glanced over the corpse of the Deathstalker and was relieved to see Lopt and Fenrir approaching, weapons sheathed.

"Well?" Lopt asked again.

This time, Ruby nodded. "Yeah. You're good."

The four of them cheered and high-fived. Fenrir wrapped her arms around Lopt's neck and planted a kiss on his cheek; the boy grimaced at first but smiled to himself when she turned away. Odin and Silas clasped hands and grinned. Ruby watched it all with a smile. It reminded her of her graduation from Beacon. Excited to be an adult, finally, and sharing it with her closest friends.

She missed them already, she realised. Despite how little time she'd spent with them over the last year, at least they'd been _there_. Now she was alone, and she missed them. Watching these four was… painful. It showed her a new outlook on life. They all fought and lived and died for one another. For the last year, all Ruby had thought about was herself… _Well now it's time to change that._

Another smile crept across her face. A sadder smile. It was a smile that remembered all the mistakes she'd made since Weiss left, but accepted them. There was no sense in getting upset about them. Life was too short. The fear was still there, but Ruby did her best to quash it, rather than coaxing it to life.

_One for all, and all or nothing._

After a few minutes of celebration, the four calmed down. Odin scanned the area around them, but said there were no Grimm for miles around them and that they should head back to the village. Ruby was happy to go back. She'd seen what they were capable of, and now she wanted to head back home. It was funny: she'd been so eager to leave, and now she was just as eager to return—not even twenty four hours after having left.

The walk back to the village was uneventful. The team talked excitedly to themselves, while Ruby walked quietly behind. She looked up as they neared the village and was surprised to see a Vale airship flying in. _Who could that be?_ she thought with a frown. She watched it until they crested the rise that then sank down to the village, and then shrugged. It didn't matter. She had more important things to worry about. _Like Weiss._

It was time to go. Ymir offered to let her stay for a banquet that night, to celebrate the team's rising to full members of the village, but Ruby politely declined. If there was another airship coming in, she could use it to get back home. The airship coming for her wouldn't be back for a couple of days, and she wanted to get back as soon as possible. She needed to reach the landing zone before the airship left.

She said her goodbyes as quickly as she could. Fenrir, Odin and Silas all shook her hand and thanked her for her efforts, and even Lopt looked at her for long enough to mumble his gratitude. Fenrir promptly slapped him and made him thank Ruby properly—which he did with a pained expression. Ruby laughed and waved off the gratitude; she really hadn't done anything. Then, leaving behind a flurry of rose petals, she dashed to her rented hut, grabbed her pack, and made for the gate.

The airship was sitting at the top of the hill when she made it to the top of the hill, and there was a familiar figure standing next to it, her long, yellow hair dancing in the breeze. Ruby smiled. _Of course, why would I expect anything different._

Yang gave her a severe look as she approached. "Ruby Rose, you stupid little—" She cut off suddenly when Ruby threw herself at her big sister and wrapped her arms around her.

Neither of them said anything. Ruby squeezed Yang as tightly as she could, and Yang squeezed her back. It had been so long, Ruby realised. She missed this warmth, this smell. Yang had been her rock through everything up until now… _How could I push her away this time? _The thought made her squeeze tighter.

"Hey, wha—" Yang began.

"I'm sorry," Ruby interjected, burying her face in the curve of Yang's neck.

"No, it's oka—"

"No, it isn't. I'm sorry, Yang. I love you…"

Yang hesitated. "I love you too, Sis. I'm always here, you know?"

Ruby leant back and nodded, wiping away a tear. "I know. Thanks, Sis."

Yang smiled. It was the first genuine, carefree smile Ruby had seen on her in a year. "Home?"

The newly-healed Huntress nodded to her older sister. "Home…" She took one last glance back at the village and smiled. "I've got a phone call to make."


	12. A Cunning Trap

Weiss crouched on a rooftop across the street from the Schnee Dust Company branch offices. She'd been there—watching—for almost an hour now. The sun was glaring down at her, and Weiss regretted not finding a rooftop with some shade; her aura was working overtime, trying to keep her fair skin from burning.

Cars could be heard driving back and forth below her, but Weiss was too far back from the edge of the roof to see them. All she needed was a line of sight on the front door and the garage of the office; there was no reason to risk being spotted.

Out of boredom more than any need to, Weiss drew Myrtenaster and spun the cylinder. It spun smoothly, having been oiled the night before. The chambers were all full of Dust, and the barrel was clear. The point tapered into invisibility; so sharp that she couldn't even see it. Poking a finger to the tip only succeeded in giving her a painful jab and drawing blood. Weiss swore and pressed it to her tongue. The pain quickly faded, and by the time Weiss looked at it again, her aura had healed the cut.

She slipped Myrtenaster back into its sheath with a sigh. She half-considered pulling out a nail file, but that was taking it too far—she needed to keep watch.

A few more heat-filled, utterly boring minutes passed and, like a gift from on high, Weiss' quarry left the building across the road. She'd looked up a list of the board members in Mistral and had been waiting for any one of them to leave the building. A black car pulled up in front of the office, and the man got in. He wasn't the man who had appeared to be the leader of the group, but it would have to do.

Weiss watched the car and moved to the left side of the building. The car pulled out and drove to her left for a few metres before swinging in a U-turn and going to her right. Weiss clicked her tongue and dashed after it. A glyph appeared at the edge of the roof and launched Weiss up and onto the roof of the next building.

The continued straight, and Weiss followed. She came to a stop when the car reached a set of traffic lights. Its left indicator was blinking; it was turning away from her. With a muttered curse, Weiss stepped back to the middle of the roof and conjured two glyphs. One at her feet, and another at the edge of the roof. She rocketed forward and was launched over the street, spiralling gracefully through the air before landing on a rooftop across the street from where she'd started. Her shoes slid along the roof for a few metres and when she came to a stop, Weiss dashed to the edge of the roof and glanced down at the car.

The light turned green and it made the turn, taking off faster than the cars around it. Its engine revved as it tore down the street, and Weiss' shoes clicked against the roof as she gave chase. The car gained ground on her whenever she was running, but her glyph-jumps helped her make up the lost distance; if not for the drain it would put on her aura, she'd do nothing but use her glyphs to keep up.

The car turned corners here and there, which gave Weiss a challenge, but for the most part it stayed on long, straight roads. As she landed from another cross-street glyph-jump, her scroll rang. She pulled it out as she ran and put it to her ear.

"Kind of busy right now!" She jumped to another rooftop and grunted as she landed in a roll.

"You found one then?" Neptune sounded concerned.

"What gave you that idea?"

"Well the panting and grunting was a good start." A hint of mischief slipped into his voice. "Though that could mean anything, really."

If Weiss' eyes weren't trained on her quarry, they'd have been rolling. "What's it like? Living in the gutter like that?"

"Dirty, but entertaining," Neptune laughed.

"_Anyway—_" Weiss jumped over an alleyway, scaring a few stray cats. "—what do you want?"

"So you found one—"

"We've established that."

"—does he know you're following him?"

Weiss smirked. "Oh, he knows. I'm not exactly inconspicuous here, leaping from rooftop to rooftop."

"Good. So we're all set?"

"Now we just wait and see."

"Alright," Neptune said. "I'll let you know if and when anything pops up."

Weiss ended the call without replying and slipped her scroll away before leaping across another street. The car was picking up its pace, but never doing anything too smart, like making consecutive turns. If they were _really_ trying to lose her, they'd wouldn't have had to try too hard. They definitely knew she was following them, and they were making sure she didn't lose them.

_Good,_ she thought as she jumped to a lower rooftop. _That means they're leading me away from the office for a reason. _The car's increasing pace was further evidence of that. The faster it went, while still keeping her in sight, the further from the office she got. Which meant one of two things: something important was going to happen at the office right now, or someone from the office wanted to go somewhere else without being followed. And Weiss knew which one it was.

The leader of the group had said—in the one conversation Weiss and Neptune had managed to successfully eavesdrop on—that any and all meetings on their plots would take place 'at the warehouse'. It had taken Neptune a while, but he'd managed to talk to a contact of Scarlet's—a man who worked in a private security firm—who'd given them a list of probable warehouses. The two of them had cross-referenced the list of heavily guarded warehouses with the city's lists of stored stock.

They'd managed to narrow it down to one most likely warehouse, and few other potential ones. There was one warehouse that was as heavily guarded as the city's main Dust supply—enough troops on the walls and in the grounds to raid a village—but, according to the city's manifests, was empty. The manifests had mentioned supplies of Dust that went in and out of the warehouse, but it never had stock held inside for more than a day.

Their plan had been simple: Weiss would let herself be seen across the street from the office, and follow whoever came out to wherever they led her; Neptune would wait outside the warehouse in question—actually hide—and see if anyone from the Schnee offices arrived while Weiss was distracted. Hopefully—probably—the board members would think Neptune was investigating somewhere else, and not that they'd found the warehouse and he was lying in wait. They had no reason to suspect they'd found it, and that was the only edge that Weiss and Neptune had.

So Weiss chased the car as conspicuously as she could, making sure they knew where she was at all times. As long as this car had her in its sight, they 'knew' they were clear to go to the warehouse. All they needed was to see someone from the office go into the warehouse, and then they'd know for sure.

The chase went on for at least twenty minutes, and Weiss was nearing exhaustion. Her legs burned, she was drenched in sweat, and she could feel her aura pulsing in what passed for pain—she'd been working it too hard. Patronisingly, the car had slowed down as Weiss fell behind. They _really_ wanted to keep her in sight.

They came to another set of traffic lights and Weiss almost collapsed. She sucked in air and gasped it out, looking like a fish plucked from the water. As she watched the car, she caught a glimpse of someone in the passenger seat holding a scroll to their ear. _Please be a good sign_, she prayed.

As soon as the light turned green, the car sped off, faster than it had gone up until now. Weiss took a few steps, intending to follow, but quickly stopped as it tore around a corner and vanished from sight.

Weiss took in a deep breath. "Yeah, forget that." She forced her aura into action one last time and threw herself off the roof. A glyph slowed her down just before she hit the ground, and she casually stepped off the hovering glyph and walked down the street as if nothing had happened.

Pedestrians nearby looked at her like an Ursa had just dropped out of the sky, but Weiss ignored the looks—she was too busy trying to catch her breath. A café caught her eye and she slipped into a seat at a table just inside the door. A waiter came over and Weiss ordered a jug of water, a sandwich and an iced coffee.

The water was like a breath of life, soothing her throat and cooling her down. Soon after, the food and coffee arrived. Weiss ate the small meal, grateful for the sorely needed calories, and waited for Neptune to call.

It wasn't until she'd finished both the food and the drinks and was leaning back in her chair, watching people walk by, that the call came. She snatched her scroll from the table and pressed it to her ear.

"Tell me we got them."

"We got 'em."

Weiss sighed in relief and sunk into her chair. "You saw them go in?"

"Yeah. The guy in charge of the rest; I saw him go inside about ten minutes ago. I'd say that tells us all we need to know."

"Yeah… Now we just need to find a way in."

"That won't be easy. This place is crawling with guards. Proper security teams too, not the usual, useless ones."

"That's fine. We've got time to plan it out now. As long as we know they're there, we can keep an eye on it while we plan, and then, once we have a way in, we sneak in after them during their next visit and we find out who's behind this and what they're planning."

"Sounds good. Where are you? I'll snap a few photos of the layout and guard positions and come pick you up."

Weiss gave him the name of the café and ended the call. She called a waiter over, ordered another sandwich and settled in to wait.

* * *

"It doesn't look good," Neptune grumbled. The pair stood over his dining table, with a blueprint of the warehouse spread across it. The photos he'd taken—freshly printed—were scattered on top of it and they'd marked the places where stationary guard posts were set up. The late afternoon sun was shining through a window, casting the room in an orange glow.

"That's putting it lightly." Weiss scratched at her nose as she pored over the plans. "Is there any way to get the guards out of there?"

Neptune shook his head. "The warehouse is empty, so we don't have anything to play with there."

"So we can't use the old 'volatile-batch-of-Dust' trick…"

"Exactly."

"Hmm…" Weiss pulled a chair back and sank into it, crossing her legs. "And there's no way in from underground."

"I'll say one thing for these guys: they know how to choose a good hideout. It's too far from any of the adjacent buildings to jump across, and the sewer system runs under the building _behind_ it. The gates are too heavily guarded and the grounds are too heavily patrolled."

Something he'd said caught Weiss' attention. She stood up and checked over all of the photos he'd taken. Her scroll—sitting on the kitchen bench—started ringing, but Weiss ignored it. Most of the pictures didn't help her, but there were a few that had good shots of the building's roof.

She looked up at Neptune. "How many guards did you see on the roof?"

He pursed his lips and glanced at the photos. "Two… Yeah, just two. One on each end."

"Good. That's got to be our way in."

Neptune scratched at his chin. "So what're you thinking?" he asked. "Airship? They're not going to miss a Haven airship hovering over their hideout. That'll set the alarm off faster than anything."

Weiss frowned. He was right, but they really had no other way in.

The blue-haired Huntsmen snapped his fingers. "What if—"

"—we don't stop the airship," Weiss finished. She'd had the same thought, and immediately realised how stupid it was. But, she realised, there really was no other way in. "I'd have to go in alone," she added. "There's no way you could make that landing."

He frowned. "Couldn't you use bigger glyphs to slow us both down?"

Weiss shook her head. "I'd be putting everything I have into slowing myself down. Falling from a moving airship is never a fun landing—even for me. I can't take care of your landing too; we'd both end up smears on the rooftop."

"Damn it…"

"Once I get in, I can try turning on a fire alarm." Weiss glanced over the blueprints again. "There's no guarantee it would get the guards out of the way though."

"Bad idea." Neptune shook his head. "They'd know nothing was inside—nothing that could cause a fire. Switching on an alarm would just let them know you're there."

"Well then… I guess that's the plan sorted out… Now we just have to time it right."

"Yeah…" Neptune pored over the plans and photos for a few seconds. "I may not like it, but it's really the only choice we have. I can keep an airship on standby for you at Haven. It won't be ready to take off as soon as you are, but it should only take fifteen minutes or so."

"Fifteen minute wait, five minute flight. Will twenty minutes be too long?"

He shook his head. "It should be fine. They were in there for almost an hour today."

"So you'll keep watch on the warehouse, and let me know when one of them goes in…"

"And then you drop in and finish this thing."

They smiled at each other and nodded. Neptune walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. Weiss lanced over the blueprints for a while longer, trying to plan out her plan of action once she got inside. She'd have to take out one or both of the guards on the roof—depending on where she landed—and cut through the roof. There was no other way to get in without risking being seen.

The plans showed two floors to the building: a ground floor and a basement. Once she cut through the roof, there was a maze of rafters which she could use to move around without being seen. If no one was on the ground floor, then she'd have to sneak down to the basement.

Her scroll rang again.

There were two ways into the basement: the stairs and the freight elevator. The stairs would be watched, so she had to climb down the elevator shaft. From there… she'd have to wing it. There could be any number of people in there, and there was no way to plan for it.

She sighed and sat down again. The sun had set now; the sky was still lit, but was darkening quickly. She could see stars shining here and there.

"Hey," Neptune called. "Do you want to answer this?"

She glanced over at him and—after a moment's thought—nodded. He picked up the still-ringing scroll and tossed it to her. With a swipe of her thumb, Weiss opened the scroll and answered the call.

"Hello?" She glanced back out the window.

"Uh… hi, Weiss."

Weiss frowned and glanced at Neptune, who was watching her with an expression of curiosity. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Who is this?"

There was a moment of silence. Weiss opened her mouth to ask again—

"It's Ruby."

The floor seemed to shift under Weiss' feet. Her heart leapt into her throat so fast she thought she was going to throw up. Neptune looked at her with concern at her sudden change of expression.

"R-Ruby… Hi." As nervous as Weiss was, just being able to say those two words made her heart soar. Neptune's eyebrows nearly shot off his face; he downed the last of his glass of milk and left the room. Weiss heard the apartment door open and shut and footsteps walking down the corridor outside. She smiled silent and unseen thanks at the man.

"How've you been?" Weiss continued.

"Aaah, you know. Getting by. How about you?"

"Y-yeah," Weiss chuckled. "Me too."

They sat in silence for a while, neither of them knowing what to say.

It was Ruby who broke it. "Sorry I didn't get your call a few days ago. I'd have called back sooner but—"

"No, no. It's fine!" Weiss cut in. "You were busy; I get it."

"Yeah… busy…" A hint of sadness made its way into Ruby's voice.

"Ruby… Are you _sure—_"

"So anyway!" Ruby cut her off. "What've you been up to?"

Weiss smiled to herself. _Typical Ruby._ "Just working; nothing too exciting. Yourself?"

"Yeah, just… working." Weiss felt a stab of heartache at Ruby's hesitation; Blake had told her all about Ruby's self-destructive monster hunting crusade. "Been working a bit _too_ much, really," Ruby added with a small chuckle. "I've been thinking of getting away for a while, taking a little holiday."

Weiss' heart started beating faster, and her breathing quickened. "I-Is that right?" she asked, hoping she sounded normal.

"I… uh… yeah. I thought it might be good to get out of Vale for a few days. Maybe head to another kingdom for a while, see the sights. Maybe… Mistral…"

Weiss almost laughed, despite her overpowering nervousness. Ruby had always been about as subtle as a bullet to the face. "Funny you mention Mistral. I'm actually there now, working a job."

"Oh… is that right? How's that going?"

"Good. We're just waiting things out now; but everything should be sorted within a few days. Then uh… I'd… be happy to show you around the city…"

Another moment of silence. Weiss thought she heard a muffled sob and struggled to fight back tears of her own.

"That'd be great," Ruby finally answered.

"Yeah… Yeah, it would." Weiss smiled. She glanced at the blueprints as she answered and had a sudden brainwave. "Hey, you know… if you're feeling up to it—I know you're coming here for a holiday—but I could probably use some help with this job."

"Oh… Y-yeah, sure. Of course. I'd love to help. But… aren't you working with Neptune?"

"Neptune can't drop out of a moving airship like you can." Weiss smiled. Ruby was the only person Weiss knew—besides herself—who _could_ drop out of a moving airship. "It'll be like old times: dropping out of the sky, taking out the bad guys."

Ruby laughed. The sound made Weiss' head spin and brought a tear to her eye. She hadn't heard that laugh in over a year, and hearing the sound of Ruby's happiness made her heart soar all over again.

"Yeah," Ruby answered. "That sounds like fun. I'll be on the first airship out."

"Wonderful." Weiss hadn't felt this happy in a long time. "Let me know when you're going to get in, and I'll pick you up." _This is it, _she thought, _Ruby's going to be a part of my life again._ She couldn't keep herself from grinning.

"Awesome. I guess I… I'll… I'll see you then, Weiss." Ruby's voice broke when she said her name, and Weiss laughed quietly.

"Yeah, Ruby. I'll see you then." She went to end the call, but remembered something. "R-Ruby!"

"Yeah?"

Weiss sighed. "I just wanted to say… that… umm… I… I'm…" _I'm sorry._ Try as she might, she couldn't get the words out.

"I know, Weiss. Me too…" Weiss smiled as she felt a tear spill down her cheek. "I'll see you soon," Ruby finished. The call ended.

Weiss looked at her scroll for a minute, trying to convince herself that she'd actually _had_ that conversation. She smiled, cried, and laughed. Her heart was a roiling mess of emotions, and she couldn't even pick out an individual one that she was feeling. _Joy,_ she told herself. _That has to be the main one… _

Weiss slid her scroll closed with a smile and set it back on the table. Her chair creaked as she leant back and closed her eyes. _This is it,_ she thought to herself again. _Gods… I love you, Ruby Rose._

* * *

In the semi-darkness of the early evening, a woman gazed up at an apartment building in Mistral. She stood under a streetlight, with her arms crossed. Her clothes were almost entirely blue: a short, light blue, silk skirt, with dark blue shorts underneath; a deep blue blouse; and a short, thick jacket. Her boots and stockings were black, as was the belt she wore at her waist. Two long knives—almost swords—hung from the belt; she wore one knife on each hip, and had an assortment of small Dust canisters attached to the rest of the available space on the belt.

The woman pulled out her scroll and dialled the first number in her contacts list. On the third ring, he answered.

"Good evening, Ao. Is everything going smoothly?"

"Of course," she answered with a smirk. "You left me in charge here for a reason, didn't you?"

"Just making sure," the man laughed. "Even you make mistakes sometimes."

"Myrka Vald!" Ao cried with feigned outrage. "When was the last time I made a mistake?"

"Uh… Atlas?"

"That… That doesn't count."

"Of course it doesn't," Myrka muttered, resigned. "Anyway, what's going on?"

"The Schnee girl is hot on my tail. My guards saw her boyfriend spying on the warehouse today when Randall came by. They know where we are now."

"Excellent. So it should only be a few days before she tries to break in."

"If I were her, I'd have someone watching the warehouse, waiting for one of the board members to go in, and _then_ make my move. So I'll tell Randall to come by again tomorrow; that should draw her in sooner—before she has a chance to call in back-up."

"I'll leave it to you then. Make sure she dies, Ao."

"Of course," Ao replied. "How are things in Vale?"

"Moving along smoothly. I had to pull back the Grimm—Beacon was sending out too many extermination parties—but the Talon is managing to sneak in easily enough."

"Have you got any intel from—"

"Yes," Myrka cut in. "A very effective spy, I must say. An excellent choice on your part. It took a little while, but now we know where they all live; I'm planning the invasion so that I can kill as many of them as I can along the way."

"Is it just the three still?"

"There's seven now. I've heard about a team that seems very close to them, so I figured we'll kill them as well. Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren are all marked to die."

"I recognise those names… From the incident with the White Fang, yes?"

"Indeed."

"Well, consider the Schnee girl dead. You take care of the rest."

"Of course," Myrka said, his voice full of confidence. "Now, once she's dead, I'll need you to head to Vacuo; matters still aren't exactly settled there, and I'll need the rest of the Talon in Vale for the invasion."

"I'll take care of it."

"I know you will. Thank you, Ao, for coming this far with me."

"We've been in this together since we started, Myrka. I'd never abandon you. Especially not after coming this far."

"I'll meet you at the top. Once we take Vale, the world is ours."

Ao grinned. "Make sure the cushion on my throne is blue."

Myrka laughed. "Of course. Best of luck to you, my friend."

"And to you," Ao replied before ending the call. She looked up at the apartment building again with a sigh.

_Weiss Schnee_, she thought,_ I hope you enjoy your evening. I wish we could have avoided this, but by this time tomorrow, you'll be dead._


	13. Dead Ends

"So you found nothing?" Blake asked, running a hand through her hair. Pyrrha looked back at her on the screen above her desk, grimacing apologetically.

"Sorry, Blake. The villagers around here don't know anything, and if the trains were getting robbed, we'd hear about it."

Blake sighed and glanced out the window. Students were walking back and forth across the campus grounds. They knew as much about what was going on as Blake felt she did. She winced and closed her eyes as the sun reflected off a student's weapon and stabbed into her eyes.

"What about the caves?" she asked, turning back to Pyrrha.

The red-haired Huntress shook her head. "We tried, but it's just too expansive. Nora and Jaune are still searching, but there are just too many branches that all seem to go on forever. If there's a cache of stolen Dust in there, we'll never find it."

"Damn it," Blake swore. "This was the only lead we had, Pyrrha."

"I know. I'm just as disappointed as you, trust me. But the sooner we get back, the sooner we can search for other leads."

With a resigned sigh, Blake nodded. "Alright. Once Jaune and Nora get back, come on home. We'll… I don't know. We'll sort something out."

Pyrrha nodded. "How're you doing?" she asked, concern in her voice. "You look tired."

The Faunus shook her head. "I'm fine. Just trying to keep up with all this."

"Don't let it turn into a Torchwick thing again," Pyrrha said with a frown. "Make sure you get some rest."

"Thanks, _Yang_," Blake laughed. "I'll make sure to finish up early tonight. We've got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow."

"Sounds good," Pyrrha said with a reassured smile. "We'll see you soon."

Blake nodded and hit a key on her scroll. The screen cut to black as the call ended, and the import records she'd been perusing reappeared. She leant back with a groan and gazed up at the ceiling. They really were getting nowhere, and fast. They'd been searching for days, and were still just as clueless as they were to begin with.

The wheels of Blake's chair squeaked as she pushed it back and got to her feet. She opened the window and breathed in as a cool breeze flowed into the room. Someone laughed outside her office; Blake crossed the room and opened the door, curious. The door to Kelly's office across the corridor was open, and Raud was sitting across from Kelly—with his back to Blake. He held a glass in one hand and had the other resting on the neck of a bottle of scotch sitting on the desk. His axe was on the floor, leaning against the side of the desk.

Blake stood in the open doorway and crossed her arms. Kelly was giggling into her hand, but stopped suddenly when she saw Blake. Raud cocked his head in what Blake guessed was confusion at the sudden change in attitude and turned around. His eyebrows raised as he recognised Blake, and he swung his chair around ninety degrees.

"Hey," he said, taking a sip of scotch.

"Hey to you too," Blake replied, eyeing the glass in his hand.

"What's going on?"

"Do you always drink in the middle of the day?"

"Only when I've got nothing to do. And until the knucklehead gets back, that's _exactly_ what I have to do."

Blake raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a few seconds. Then she sighed and walked back into her office, grabbed a chair, dragged it into Kelly's office and slumped into it.

"Pour me one too," she muttered, defeated. He grinned and picked up another glass; he half-filled it and handed it to her before topping up his own glass. He held the bottle out to Kelly, who merely glanced between it and Blake with a hint of fear. It wasn't until Blake raised the glass to her lips and took a sip that Kelly took the bottle, filling up her own glass.

"That's more like it," Raud said with a broad grin. "Nothing like a drink amongst pals."

Blake lowered the glass and raised an eyebrow. "Pals, huh?"

"Of course!" Raud laughed. Kelly smiled over the rim of her glass before taking a small sip.

"We've known you for—what—three days? Four?" Blake asked. "And we're pals already?" Despite the banter, Blake took another swig of scotch. It burned her throat on the way down and sent a shiver through her body, but the pleasant warmth in her stomach was a comfort.

"Aww…" Raud gave her a mock frown. "Do you still not trust me?"

"Well you still haven't given me a reason to… though I have to admit that this helps," she added, holding up her glass.

He laughed. "Well, have I given you a reason to _not_ trust me?"

Blake hesitated, then took another sip. "An excellent point."

"I thought so." Raud swirled the scotch in his glass for a second before downing the whole thing. Blake winced at the sight; the glass was more than half-full, and the small sips she was taking was enough to burn. He grimaced a little and shivered. "Damn!" he exclaimed. "They didn't tell me that you made such good scotch in Vale."

"They?" Blake asked. "Your 'employers'?"

"Yup," Raud replied, topping up his glass.

"So what exactly do they 'employ' you for? What do you do?"

He shrugged. "Whatever they want me to do."

"What, like some kind of mercenary?" Blake asked with a hint of scorn.

"Pretty much."

"Huh?"

"I _am_ a mercenary."

Blake froze, the glass halfway to her lips. "And you just _forgot_ to mention that?"

He shrugged. "Mercenaries aren't exactly respected nowadays. I figured it was just one less hurdle to have to jump over."

"Then why tell me now?"

"Because you're already searching. If you want me gone, I can go. As long as you're looking for the Dust, my job is done."

Kelly was glancing back and forth between the two of them, her glass held to her lips with both hands. Blake glanced at the girl and raised her hands in exasperation. The lock of green in Kelly's hair swung free as she shrugged.

With a resigned sigh, Blake turned back to Raud. "Fine. Whatever. Just… Is there anything else you'd like to share?"

Raud shook his head. "Nope. I can't tell you who I'm working for, and I'd guess that would be your next question." Blake frowned. He was right. "And since I can't tell you that, there's really no point in getting worked up about this anymore. So drink up!" He raised his glass and eyed them both expectantly. Blake and Kelly both glanced at each other. The Faunus sighed and tapped her glass to Raud's. Kelly followed suit a moment later.

"So have you heard from the knucklehead?" Raud asked as he set his glass on the table.

"I was just talking to Pyrrha. They couldn't find anything. They'll be back later today, and I guess from there we just start from scratch again…"

"Really?" Raud frowned. "They didn't find _anything_? Did they search the tunnels?"

"They tried but apparently the caves are too big for the three of them to search…" _Tunnels…? _"I guess we could get a squad of troops to scour through it, though we'd have to risk people finding out about the search." _They're close enough to Vale that it could work… theoretically. _

"I'd rather avoid that," Raud muttered.

"Exactly," Blake said over her glass. _But there's no way we wouldn't notice them mining through like that…_

"Why can't we tell anyone?" Kelly asked, sipping gently from her glass. "Surely getting more help could only be a good thing…"

"We don't know who could be involved," Raud answered bitterly. "The whole operation in Vacuo is being aided by, or even controlled by, members of government. The more people we tell, the higher the risk of conspirators in Vale finding out."

"But surely we need to let _someone_ know," Kelly said. "This much Dust vanishing has to be cause for concern. What if it's getting into… undesirable hands?"

"Like who?"

"Well… The Black Talon has been pretty quiet lately, by their standards. What if… I don't know… they're getting ready for some big operation."

"They could take down Vale with the amount of Dust that's gone missing over the last few months…" Blake muttered.

"And those earthquakes wouldn't help either," Raud muttered. "Who knows when another one of them is going to hit."

_Oh gods… the earthquakes._

Blake shot to her feet. "I'll be right back." She dashed across to her office and swung into her chair. Pyrrha's name was flashing on the screen and Blake swallowed down a sense of foreboding.

She answered the call. "Pyrrha?"

The red-haired Huntress looked panicked. "Jaune and Nora just got back. Blake, the caves—"

"Go into Vale?"

"Yeah… How did you— Never mind. One of the caves at least comes out into the sewers under the city. We don't know how many others, but it could be any of them."

"Did you find any Dust?" Blake asked, trying to hide the fear that was burrowing into her chest.

"I…" Pyrrha frowned. "No. No Dust."

"So either they've taken it somewhere else…" Blake muttered.

"Or it's already in the city," they said in unison.

"Dammit…" Pyrrha swore. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Yeah…" Blake trailed off, thinking.

"Blake?"

The Faunus blinked. "Sorry. Thinking. I'll see you soon."

"Okay. We're heading out now." Pyrrha ended the call.

Blake trudged back into Kelly's office and slumped into her chair. She grabbed her glass and downed the rest of it in one gulp, earning an impressed look from Raud.

"Miss Belladonna?" Kelly asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Those earthquakes we've been having… Someone's been mining under the city through the caves in the forest."

"Oh no…" Kelly whispered.

Raud frowned and swirled his scotch. "So what does this mean?"

"I don't know," Blake sighed. "It could mean _anything_. Maybe they're smuggling the Dust back into the city. Maybe people are sneaking in—maybe the Talon. Or maybe Grimm are about to attack."

"Or maybe all three," Raud chuckled, shaking his head. "Damn… This is bad."

Blake hung her head back and looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. She held her glass out to Raud. "I'm gonna need another one of these."

"You and me both," the mercenary muttered.

They all slumped back in their chairs with matching sighs—though Kelly waited for Blake before following suit. Light streamed in through the window and Blake closed her eyes as the filtered warmth of the sun washed over her. A pleasant buzz filled her head; she set her glass on Kelly's desk and smiled contently.

For all they knew, the world could be coming down around them, but now that Blake had this moment of relaxation within her grasp, she was determined to take it. _Yang would be proud of me_, she thought with a light chuckle. A draught tousled her hair, blowing a lock across her face, but she made no move to adjust it. The scent of Yang's shampoo filled her nose. It was a habit of hers: whenever Yang was away, she would use her shampoo. So when Blake thought of her wife during the day, and felt lonely, she could smell her hair and feel at least a small measure of comfort.

The Faunus breathed in. Yang's face appeared before her eyes, smiling affectionately. The image faded as she breathed out.

"You guys planned a party and didn't invite me?"

Blake's eyes shot open and she turned to the door. Yang was standing in the corridor, wearing an amused smile. The Faunus shot out of her chair and wrapped her arms around the blonde Huntress.

"Woah!" Yang laughed. "Hey! I wasn't gone for that long."

Blake pulled back and planted a kiss on Yang's lips. She remembered why Yang had left a moment later and pulled back, searching the hallway for Ruby. Their red-haired leader was nowhere to be seen. Yang answered Blake's confused, questioning look with a grin.

"I dunno what happened," Yang said with a shrug. "But when I found her, she seemed… better. Like, completely better. Back to good old Ruby." Blake felt an eyebrow raise on its own. "I know," Yang added, raising a placating hand. "I didn't believe it at first either. But on the flight home… she convinced me. She's better, Blake," Yang choked out, her eyes brimming with tears. "She's all better."

Blake smiled. If Yang was convinced, then it had to be true. Ruby wasn't that good a liar—especially when it came to Yang. "So where is she?"

Yang dashed away the tears and grinned. "On her way to Mistral."

Blake gasped and clasped both hands over her mouth. "She's going to see Weiss?"

"Yep. They talked during the flight. Who knows, maybe the old gang is getting back together."

Blake smiled. It might be too soon to tell for _that_, but at least there was hope now.

Yang clapped her hands together. "So, about this party…"

Raud grabbed another glass—_how many did he _bring_?—_and half-filled it. The scotch bottle was less than half-full now. Blake had to check it again before she believed it. They surely hadn't drunk that much…

Yang downed it all in one hit and—after she finished cringing—handed the glass back to Raud and waved a hand. "I'm good," she wheezed. "Just the one. _Damn_ that stuff is strong." The mercenary grinned and downed the last of his glass. "Right," Yang continued. "Next point of business. I got a message on the way here: apparently the two guys I captured with Nora were moved into the holding cells last night."

Blake felt a rush of excitement, and mentally kicked herself. The prisoners had completely slipped her mind. While there was no guarantee of a connection between the captives and what they'd been investigating, but any potential leads now were like a gift.

"Oh _damn_!" Kelly swore. "I knew I'd forgotten something!" They turned to her as one, making her blush. "One of the orderlies came by last night—after you went home, Miss Belladonna—and mentioned it. He asked me to let you know, but I guess he messaged you as well, Miss Xiao Long."

Blake smiled. "It's fine, Kelly. Though…" She frowned. "Why were you here after I left? I told you to go home."

"Sorry, Ma'am." Kelly bowed her head. "I had some paperwork left to fill out. Miss Violet's transfers took some shuffling around of other schedules," she added at Blake's raised eyebrows.

The Faunus gaped at the woman. Then she chuckled. "Only you, Kelly, would keep working on things like that with everything else we're dealing with going on as well."

Kelly frowned. "There's no reason to fall behind on the paperwork, Ma'am."

"Of course." Blake shook her head as she chuckled. She got to her feet and turned towards Yang. "Come on. They might know something that could help us."

Yang nodded and turned down the hallway. Blake glanced back into the room. "Are you two coming?"

Raud and Kelly both looked to each other before responding. Kelly nodded, Raud shrugged and grabbed his axe, then they both got up and followed her out of the office.

* * *

There was a female guard at the locked door that led into Beacon's small block of a holding cells. The door was made of steel and had one small window at head height, blocked with vertical bars. The guard frowned slightly as she saw them approaching and slowly got out of her chair as they arrived.

"What can I do for you today?" she asked.

"There were two prisoners brought in last night," Yang replied. "I'd like to talk to them."

After a moment, the guard tapped a few keys on her scroll. A list appeared on its screen. "Name?" she asked, glancing up at Yang.

"Yang Xiao Long."

Another moment passed before the woman nodded and pressed a button on her desk, unlocking the door. Yang nodded her thanks as the guard sat back down and opened the door.

Beacon didn't have many holding cells—it wasn't a prison—but it had a few in place for temporary prisoners, or people deemed to have an important connection to a Huntsmen's business. There was one corridor, with five cells on each side, and one more at the far end. The doors were all the same as the one leading into the block—heavy steel and one small window—but they were all numbered, going from cell number one on their left all the way around so cell number eleven was to their right.

Yang glanced back towards the window. "Five and seven," the guard said without looking up. Yang nodded again and led the way to the end of the corridor.

Their steps rang out on the bare, grey concrete floor. Someone groaned in cell number three. Blake avoided looking in the window. It was a dismal place. The corridor was illuminated by two fluorescent lights on the ceiling, which cast everything in an even drearier light.

Yang stopped at cell five and looked in the window. The steel rang as she knocked her fists against the door. "Hey! Get up!"

There was no response.

Blake glanced towards cell seven, but no sound came from there either. Yang knocked on cell five again before crossing the hall and trying cell seven. Still nothing. Blake frowned and looked down, tapping her foot impatiently. A scuff in the floor caught her eye. She glanced back the way they'd come. The floor was completely level and free of any marks, except for this one. It looked as if a small chunk of the concrete had been neatly sliced out.

_What the hell are you doing, Blake?_ She thought with a groan. _Those drinks were a bad idea. _Her head was still buzzing lightly—no doubt the cause of her distraction.

"_Hey_!" Yang yelled through the window of cell seven. "Screw this," she swore after a moment. "Hey, can you open up seven?" she called to the guard. There was a buzz and a click, and Yang pushed the door open.

Blake stepped into the room after her. The cells were plain. A single bed against the wall, a toilet and sink, and a small desk and chair. Light streamed in through the small window in the wall—even smaller than the window in the door—and there was a small fluorescent bulb set in the ceiling. A man—Yang's prisoner presumably—was lying on the bed, facing the wall.

Something metallic drifted into Blake's nose. She sniffed and shuddered. There was a dark stain on the floor near the bed. Yang reached out to grab the man's shoulder.

"Yang, stop!" Blake called. But it was too late. The blonde Huntress grabbed the man's shoulder and rolled him towards them, revealing the puddle of blood soaked into the bed sheets and staining the wall. The prisoner rolled limply; his head hung back and the fluorescent bulb shone a pale light on his slit throat.

"Oh gods!" Yang staggered back, covering her mouth and nose.

Raud looked in. "What is it—" He trailed off into a stream of curses as he saw the dead man. Blake stepped around him, back into the corridor. The guard was standing at the door to the cell block, looking concerned.

"Open up five!" Blake called as the woman opened her mouth.

The guard vanished and, a moment later, cell five unlocked. The Faunus dashed into the room and could smell the blood immediately. Covering her nose, she stepped back into the corridor and shook her head at Raud's questioning look. The mercenary swore again and stepped into cell five, turning the man over. Another stream of curses issued from the cell.

"_Damn it!_" Yang hissed. "What the hell!? How did this happen?"

The guard ran down the corridor, stopping a metre away. "What happened?"

"They're both _dead_!" Yang yelled, throwing her arms up. "How the hell does someone kill two prisoners inside _Beacon_!"

"I… I don't know," the guard muttered.

Raud stepped back into the corridor, shaking his head. He noticed a smudge of blood on one hand and idly wiped it on his pants. "They've been dead for hours," he said. "Must've been killed sometime last night." He shot a questioning look at the guard.

"I started at dawn," she said in response to the glance. "No one mentioned anything happening during the night."

"Who… who could have done it?" Blake asked of no one in particular.

"I don't know," Yang muttered. "But I have _an_ idea…"

Blake looked at her wife; she was glaring at Raud. The mercenary caught the gaze and scoffed. "What? _Me?_ Are you serious?" He seemed somewhat amused by the implied accusation. "How the hell would I have found out they'd been moved? How would I have gotten in? Not to mention the fact that I have no reason to _want_ to kill them _in the first place_!" he roared the last. All traces of amusement were gone, replaced by a sudden fury.

"Where were you last night, then?" Yang asked him. She stepped closer, so their faces were inches apart.

A vein pulsed in Raud's forehead as he glared right back at her. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

Yang raised an eyebrow and hints of flame licked at her hair. "So help me, I will beat you down right here and throw you in one of these cells myself."

The mercenary sneered. "Wouldn't it be fun to try."

Blake became painfully aware of the collapsed bracelets of Ember Celica around Yang's wrists, as well as the axe handle sticking out over Raud's head. Any second now, she knew, this could explode. She stepped forward, trying to get in between them.

"_He was with me!_"

All three of them froze and looked at Kelly. The woman had been standing in the middle of the corridor, avoiding looking in the cells, and now she looked angry.

"Just stop!" she said. "There's no point to this. He was with me, alright? After I finished off the last of the paperwork, Raud and I went out. He wanted to see more of Vale."

Yang turned back to Raud. "So he was with you when you heard about the—"

"No!" Kelly cut her off. "He was waiting for me at his hotel. I was only here until ten o'clock, and then after that neither of us were anywhere near Beacon."

Yang paused for a moment, and then stepped back. She sent a look at Blake. "_What do you think?"_ the look asked. The Faunus hesitated for a moment, and glanced at Kelly. The woman looked shaken, but determined. She glanced at Raud, remembering their earlier discussion about trust.

"I believe them," she said with a sigh. "As much as I hate the alternative, I don't think Raud did it."

Raud nodded at her, but still seemed angry. His face was red, and Blake could see blood vessels fit to burst in his eyes. He walked to the far end of the corridor, near the entrance, and sucked in a deep breath. Blake watched him for a moment, concerned, but turned back to Yang once he waved her away.

The blonde Huntress was still eyeing Raud, but she smiled and nodded at Blake when she met her gaze. "Okay," Yang said as she wrapped her arms around Blake. "If you believe them, I do too. I just… I don't trust him…"

Blake patted Yang on the arm. "I'm not entirely convinced either, but I trust Kelly."

Yang nodded and kissed her lightly on the forehead before pulling away. Blake immediately missed Yang's warmth, but restrained herself. She turned to the guard, who looked utterly confounded. "Go to the infirmary," she said. "Get a nurse. We need to move these bodies out of here. We'll stay here while you're gone."

The guard hesitated for a moment, glancing at each of them, then nodded and dashed past Raud and out the door. The door clicked shut with a sense of finality, like a coffin closing.

"So now what?" Yang asked.

"Now," Blake muttered. "We're in trouble."

"Big trouble," Raud added.

Yang frowned and glanced towards one of the cells. "Do you know who did it?" she asked.

Blake shook her head. "It doesn't matter. If no one here killed them, then that means one thing: someone in Beacon is working against us, and got to them first. Which means someone is _definitely_ up to something in Vale, and it goes up high. We're not just dealing with some petty criminals, or the Talon. There are people at _Beacon_ trying to stop us from finding out what these men knew."

"Ah…" Yang grunted. "Trouble."

In a sudden flash of realisation, Blake remembered the member of the Black Talon Jaune and Pyrrha had captured. "Oh damn!" she hissed. "I'll be right back." She dashed to the door and wrenched it open.

"Where are you going?" Yang called after her.

"To check the other one!" Then Blake was running down the hall. The infirmary wasn't far from the holding cells. The guard was running back with a nurse when Blake arrived. The guard looked confused to see her, but ran past without a word.

Thankfully, there was another nurse nearby, and Blake put a hand lightly on his shoulder. He jumped slightly at the sudden touch, but turned with a welcoming smile.

"How can I help—" he began.

"There's a man in here somewhere—a Faunus—with aura shock. Where is he?"

The nurse was surprised at the intensity in Blake's voice, but collected himself quickly. "Umm… In Secure Ward Two. Follow me."

He led Blake through a series of corridors until they came to a heavy door, similar to those in the holding cells. The nurse unlocked it with a key and let Blake in. She ran to the still form of the Faunus prisoner and yanked back his covers.

Blood. The stench hit her like a fist, and Blake retched. The Faunus' throat was slit from ear-to-ear, just like the other two prisoners.

_Damn it… That settles it_, Blake thought. _Someone knows all about us._ She sighed in resignation. _Hurry back, Pyrrha. We're going to need all the manpower we can get now. Things are only going to get worse._


	14. Falling Dust

Sweaty palms. No matter how vigorously or frequently Weiss wiped them on her sleeves, or her skirt, they wouldn't stay dry. _Keep it together, Weiss_. She stood on one of the landing pads at Haven, fidgeting. There was a speck in the clear, blue sky, way off in the distance, but approaching fast.

Try as she might to watch the approaching airship, the afternoon sun was positioned almost directly behind it. Weiss closed her eyes and waited for the burned in circles to fade away before opening them again with a sigh.

She'd been waiting at the airfield for nearly an hour now, and Ruby still wouldn't land for another thirty minutes at least. Sitting in Neptune's apartment waiting had proved maddening. The Huntsmen had left that morning, to keep an eye on the warehouse, and Weiss had spent hours pacing the apartment, unable to sit still for more than five seconds.

Eventually, once she'd reached her breaking point, she'd left. The taxi had taken ten minutes to reach the apartment building—ten minutes too long—and then another twenty minutes to reach Haven. By the time she arrived, Weiss was almost tearing her hair out. The waiting, and the anxiety that came with it, was killing her..

It had been a year since she'd last seen Ruby, and that hadn't been a pleasant parting. Now that the chance to make up for it was presenting itself, Weiss could barely contain her impatience. _ Just a chance,_ a pessimistic voice jibed. It was true, there was no guarantee that she and Ruby would be able to reconcile. _Damned if I'm not going to try though._ Weiss told the voice as she wiped her hands once again.

The speck had grown a little; it's wings were visible now—though only just. Weiss looked away before the sun burnt itself into her retinas again and walked back inside, to a nearby vending machine. The iced tea she purchased did nothing to soothe her nerves, and, a few seconds later, Weiss was outside again, watching the airship's approach.

A gaping hole opened up in her stomach, and she nearly threw the tea back up. Forcing down another mouthful, if only to wash down the bile, Weiss took a deep breath through her nose and tried to relax. It had been years since she'd felt this nervous about anything. Her skin tingled with a sudden sensitivity; she could feel every strand of thread that touched her bare skin. The hole in her stomach gaped wider; Weiss put the iced tea on the ground.

No amount of breathing could calm her down, but she tried nonetheless. So focused was she on trying to stop her heart from racing that she almost missed her scroll ringing. Fumbling like a madwoman, she snatched it from her belt and slid it open.

"Hello? Ruby?" she asked in a rush.

"Not quite," Neptune's voice replied. "I'm the one with the _blue hair_."

"Neptune," Weiss said dryly. Her tone carried enough of an implication of 'shut up' that she didn't even need to say it.

The Huntsmen sighed. The severity of it made Weiss frown. "Got some bad news, Weiss," he said sadly.

A cold wind blew past, whipping Weiss' hair about and making her shiver as the cold caressed her thighs under the skirt. Some feeling of dread foreboding crept up her spine. "What?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"They just went in. We need to go now."

The airship was still barely more than a speck on the horizon. Weiss swore under her breath.

"I know," Neptune said. "I'm sorry. I've already made the call. The airship will be ready to take off in ten minutes."

Weiss wanted to wait. Every part of her screamed to wait. _They were in there for more than an hour last time; there's time to wait for Ruby! _But there was no guarantee they'd be there that long this time. She knew she needed to move now. The was one part of her—the Huntress—that was telling her to go.

"Alright," she sighed. "I'm on my way. How quickly can you get here?"

"Half an hour if I leave now."

"Do it," Weiss said. "Ruby's supposed to land in half an hour. Can you ready another small airship in that time?"

"Sure."

"Good. You two fly in after me. Ruby can drop in and be my back-up."

"Okay. We won't be able to get there until at least twenty minutes after you, though. Be careful."

"Of course."

Weiss ended the call, slipped her scroll away and glanced at the oncoming airship once more. "Damn it."

She turned away, and ran to the landing pad that Neptune had booked for their airship.

* * *

The pilot was doing some last minute checks when Weiss arrived five minutes later. The man looked up as he heard her approach and raised a hand in greeting. Weiss waved back as she stopped to catch her breath. She looked up at the sky once again, but the effort proved futile; she'd lost track of Ruby's airship.

"We'll be ready in a couple of minutes, Ma'am," the pilot called. "Feel free to hop on board and get yourself ready while you wait.

Weiss turned back with a sigh and nodded. "Thank you."

As she boarded the airship, Weiss pushed away all thoughts of Ruby. It was difficult, but necessary. She couldn't afford any distractions now. This was too important. This was the end of their search, she kept reminding herself. She'd been working on this with Neptune for weeks now. Now they were finally going to get to the bottom of it. She set Myrtenaster on a weapon rack and strapped herself into a seat. Closing her eyes, she took a deep, calming breath of the cold air.

Slowly, but surely, her heart hardened. She turned cold. The Ice Queen, they'd called her. It had begun as a joke about her abrasive and direct personality, but it had stuck for a different reason. Cold, uncaring, lethal. Weiss Schnee, the cold-hearted bitch.

When her eyes opened, they were devoid of all emotion. The eyes of a warrior, a killer, ready for war.

The pilot came in a minute later, wiping his hands on his trousers. "Alright," he said. "Ready for take-off. As soon as I know where we're going."

In a monotone voice, Weiss gave him the coordinates and his instructions. The man frowned slightly when she told him to merely fly over the destination, but by how quickly he nodded it was clear that he'd been working with Huntsmen and Huntresses for a long time. Within minutes, they were in the air.

As they flew, Weiss worked to maintain her cold. Ruby's face popped into her head from time to time, melting the armour of ice she'd forged around her heart in preparation for what was ahead, but Weiss forced it away.

There was a buzz and the pilot told her they were approaching the warehouse. Weiss was out of her seat in a flash, and slipping Myrtenaster back into its sheath. The back door of the airship opened and wind tore through the cabin. Weiss held her hair back so she could see clearly, and walked to the edge.

The city sped by underneath her. Cars, people and buildings flashed by before she even had a chance to focus on them, turning everything into a blurred mosaic. There was another buzz over the intercom and the airship started to slow down marginally.

"We're coming up now, Ma'am," the pilot announced. "Jump in five."

_Four._

Weiss took a breath.

_Three._

She checked Myrtenaster was in its sheath.

_Two._

Spun the cylinder.

_One_.

Patted her Dust pouch.

Jumped.

The wind hit her like a freight train, tearing at her hair, clothes, and spinning her around. The warehouse was visible below, almost indistinguishable amidst the rest of the buildings. Only the presence of the guards pointed it out to her. Weiss straightened herself into a human arrow and rocketed towards the roof. Once she was close enough, she stuck out her arms, slowing her decent slightly and stopping the spinning.

A glyph appeared ten metres below her. She reached it almost instantly and was flipped upright. Another glyph appeared, and she landed on this one feet first. It carried her down, straining to slow her descent. It shattered from the pressure—Weiss gasped at the strain on her aura—and she conjured another one.

Too soon, the roof was just below her. She was still moving too quickly. Pouring everything she had into it, Weiss summoned one last glyph. It appeared not five metres above the roof. She hit it and sank towards the roof. The glyph expanded as she poured more and more energy into it, spreading over the warehouse's rooftop.

Just as Weiss was about to black out from the over-exertion of her semblance, she touched lightly down on the roof. With a gasp, she let the glyph go. It shattered into a cloud of luminous dust and faded away.

Sucking in a deep breath, Weiss looked around. The guards at each end of the warehouse both had their backs to her. Weiss smiled to herself. Fatigue threatened to wash over her after such an extreme use of her semblance, but Weiss forced herself upright and pushed on. She approached the edge of the roof and glanced over the side.

By some miracle, there was a window open near the end of the building. It was close to one of the guards, but it was better than having to find away in while avoiding all the extra guards below. She crept along the roof, praying that the guard kept his back to her.

With a glance towards the open window, Weiss planned out her next move. Sneak straight in? Or take out the guard, just in case? Unwilling to risk being seen, she crept behind the guard, who stood ten metres from the window she wanted to use.

Clapping a hand over his mouth, Weiss swept the man's legs out from under him. He hit the ground with a grunt, and Weiss slammed a fist into the side of his head, just behind the ear. The man was unconscious before he had time to realise what was happening.

Having cleared this end of the roof, Weiss glanced at the far end. The other guard was still oblivious to her presence, so she hurried to the open window. The glass pane opened upwards and outwards, so the glass itself acted as a barrier to her entry from the roof. Weiss lowered herself over the edge of the roof, planting her feet on the next window along. The glass creaked in its setting, but held.

She grabbed the open window pane with one hand and used it to swing herself forward and through the hole, slamming the window shut behind her. A maze of support beams greeted her. The Huntress slammed into one and gasped in pain, but grabbed onto it. There was another dizzying drop to the ground below her, but she had a clear vantage of the entire ground floor of the warehouse. She reached out to another beam and used it to pull herself upright and stepped on the one that had so warmly greeted her. Clinging to the nearby beams, Weiss slowly walked along it and examined the room.

It was empty. Utterly empty. No one was in sight. No storage crates. Not even a rat.

_So they're in the basement_. Weiss grimaced. The thought of having to go down there wasn't pleasant. Limited entrances and exits, and easy to guard. But there wasn't really another option. She needed to find out who was behind this.

With a resigned sigh, Weiss toppled forward. The ground rushed up to meet her, but a glyph got there first. Her aura was still recovering from her air-drop, so the landing was harder than she'd have liked, but she landed without injury.

The stairway to the basement was sure to be guarded, so Weiss headed to the freight elevator. Opening the small maintenance hatch, she slipped into the darkness of the elevator shaft. As she climbed down, she heard muted voices. The door at the bottom of the shaft blocked the sound, so she couldn't make out what they were saying, but there were definitely people below.

With a grin, Weiss hurried her climb. This was it. She'd found the ringleader.

The door at the bottom of the shaft slid open easily and—thankfully—silently. Weiss levered herself up and slid into the shadow of a nearby pillar. Once the door closed behind her, she took a chance to examine the room.

There were two rows of concrete pillars running the length of the room, splitting the room into three rows of empty space. A line of fluorescent lights was turned on, reaching from the stairs to the far wall, down the central row. The lights along the sides of the room were turned off, so while the light from the centre did cast light across the rest of the cavernous basement, there were deep shadows cast by the pillars. It was these shadows that Weiss tried to stick to as she approached the source of the voices.

"We've more than enough Dust now. You and yours have my thanks," A female voice said. Weiss frowned. She recognised that voice, but couldn't say from where. She caught a glimpse of blue as she crossed to the next pillar, which only made the forgetfulness more painful.

"Of course, Ma'am." Now _that_ voice, Weiss knew. The leader of Mistral's Schnee Dust Company branch. "We hope to continue our… lucrative partnership into the future."

"As do we, Randall. As do we." The woman replied. _Argh, where do I know that voice from? _"No doubt we will have a place in our midst and tasks for you and your people once we take power."

Weiss came to a stop behind another pillar and peeked around. The leader of the board—Randall—was in the middle of bowing graciously to a woman that Weiss could _just_ see the edge of. The Huntress pulled her head back around the pillar and took a breath.

"We look forward to it, Ma'am." Randall said.

"Randall, please," the woman said in a light-hearted tone. "We're partners now. Call me Ao."

The recognition, and all the implications that followed, hit Weiss like a charging Goliath to the chest. _Shinu Ao…_ Weiss had seen the woman once before. Five years ago, in an underground hideout beneath the walls of Vale. If she was here, then it was obvious who was behind everything.

And that meant that, without a doubt, Vale was somehow the target. Myrka Vald's hatred of Ozpin and Beacon was the driving force behind his last attack, five years ago. If he was planning another, with Dust smuggled in from Mistral, and five years of planning… Only the gods knew what kind of chaos he could unleash.

"Now, Randall, I think it's time for you to go," Ao said. "I've a busy schedule and other matters that need tending to."

"Of course, Miss Ao," Randall replied. He withdrew, taking two bodyguards with him and, unless Weiss had missed something, leaving Ao alone.

Weiss froze in the shadow of the pillar, torn, unsure of how to proceed. Having uncovered the ringleader of this plot and finding overwhelming evidence of an attack on Vale, she wanted to leave. If she could get out, she could warn Ruby, or Blake, and get the defences prepared before the attack. Vale—Beacon—needed to be warned.

But at the same time, who knew when she'd get a chance to face Ao alone again? If Weiss could take her out now, then they would have Myrka's right-hand man and closest friend in custody. Maybe a deal could be brokered. Maybe the attack could be averted all together.

_Damn it! What do I do?_ Weiss wrapped her fingers around Myrtenaster's grip and slid it a few inches out of its sheath before slowly sliding it back. She jostled her Dust pouch, making sure it was full. She made all the preparations she needed to attack, but couldn't convince herself to commit.

_Story of my life,_ she thought bitterly. _I couldn't bring myself to commit to Ruby, and now I'm hiding here, like a deer caught in a spotlight. Damn it, Weiss! For once in your life, _make a decision_!_

Ao made it for her. "Come on out, Little Schnee. I know you're hiding there."

Weiss flinched. _How the…_ She shook her head. It didn't matter. There was no choice now but to attack. If Ao knew she was here, then there'd be no quiet retreat.

The air felt cold as Weiss sucked in a breath. The heels of her shoes clacked against the concrete floor as she stood and rounded the pillar, stepping into the light. Their eyes locked immediately and Weiss almost flinched again. Ao had changed in the last five years. No flashy, blue dress this time. She wore combat gear. The blades at her hips looked vicious, ready for use—though the gaping hole at each pommel that seemed to run the length of the hilt of each blade confused her.

"Well, well, well," Ao said with a smile. A cold smile. Her lips said she was amused, while her eyes said she was ready to kill. "Aren't you the clever detective?"

Weiss didn't respond. She sucked in another cold breath and felt it settle in her lungs. She willed the cold to fill her. It was time for emptiness, time for heartlessness. Time for the Ice Queen.

"Unfortunately," Ao continued. "I can't let you leave now, Little Schnee. I've got orders from up high, and you… need to die."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. _Orders from Myrka? About me? Why would he want me dead?_

Ao smirked again as she read the questions in Weiss' eyes. "Did you think we wouldn't find out who the four were who foiled our plans last time? Or your other four friends?"

Weiss glowered, still silent.

"Yes indeed," Ao laughed. The sound was like shattering ice. No joy in that laugh, only cruelty. Ao smirked as she counted off on her fingers. "You, Xiao Long, Belladonna, Arc, Nikos, Valkyrie, Lie, and… what was the last one… Ah yes, _Ruby Rose_."

A rising anger threatened to break through the ice that was wrapped around her heart. She opened her mouth, almost spoke, but held the rage back. _You would threaten _Ruby_? _she shrieked silently.

Myrtenaster sang as it cleared its sheath. The cylinder of Dust spun until the Freeze Dust was lined up with the barrel. Ao sneered and reached for her belt. Weiss saw the canisters of Dust running around it and watched Ao pull out two—one Burn Dust and one Freeze Dust—and slide them into the hilts of her short swords.

_Ah,_ Weiss thought. Ao's weapon was similar to Myrtenaster, but it would only hold one type of Dust at a time; she didn't have Weiss' revolving cylinder. It had been a while since Weiss had fought a Dust user.

All traces of cruelty vanished from Ao's face as she drew her swords. The woman looked… sad. "I _am_ sorry for this, Little Schnee."

The Ice Queen sneered.

Ao sighed. "So be it." She raised her blades.

The room was utterly silent as they watched each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The only sound that Weiss could hear was her own breathing.

They moved at the same time.

Weiss conjured a glyph at her feet and propelled herself towards the woman.

Ao swung her right-hand sword, sending a scythe-blade of ice rocketing towards the Huntress.

Weiss ducked under the flying ice, sliding along the concrete. Another glyph knocked her upright. She toppled forward—the glyph's launch was too powerful—and cartwheeled towards Ao with one hand. As she finished a full rotation and stood on her feet once more, their blades clashed.

Ao blocked Weiss' strike with crossed blades. She maintained the block with her right-hand blade, while pulling back and lashing out with the left. A gout of fire exploded around Weiss' knees. The Huntress jumped upwards, pushing against Ao's right-hand sword with Myrtenaster to propel herself up and over the woman.

Ao spun as Weiss landed and swung both blades. A cross of fire and ice slammed into Huntress. She blocked the damage with Myrtenaster and her aura, but was still knocked back a few metres.

As the shards of Dust tinkled out of existence, the room returned to silence. Weiss couldn't help but smile. Ao was good. The woman didn't share Weiss' good cheer; she still gazed at Weiss with melancholic, but determined, eyes, saying nothing.

Weiss spun to the right and swung her rapier. Three razor sharp crystals of ice appeared in the wake of her blade and rocketed towards Ao. The woman swung her left-hand sword down and a wall of flame flared up, melting the ice. A spear of fire lanced towards the Huntress as the wall faded. She grimaced and dodged behind a pillar. The fire exploded against the concrete, and Weiss felt the heat wash over her arms.

She dashed forward, and just in time. There was a loud crack and as she spun, Weiss saw a vicious-looking chunk of ice stabbed through the pillar. Ao appeared in a cloak of flame on the right, and Weiss stabbed at the ground. A thick wall of ice appeared between them, right in Ao's path.

The Huntress spun around the wall, spinning Myrtenaster's cylinder. Ao crashed into the ice and a cloud of steam shielded her from view. Weiss swung her rapier upwards, sending a gust of wind into the steam. The cloud cleared and revealed Ao, charging towards her with a lance of ice leading the way.

Another spin and a gust of wind knocked the ice aside, and Weiss met Ao's attack with Myrtenaster. Fighting a dual-wielder with one blade was not an easy task, as Weiss soon remembered. Ao's swords were a blur of steel, fire and ice. Weiss barely managed to get Myrtenaster in the way each time.

She fell back beneath the woman's onslaught. Unable to press forward, Weiss conjured a glyph at her feet and flipped backwards. As she landed, she swung Myrtenaster in a vicious arc. The typhoon that erupted from her blade sent Ao careening backwards.

Silence fell once more.

The only sound was the two of them panting. Ao looked at her with a measure of respect added to the melancholy. The woman glanced at her blades for an instant, and Weiss noticed two clear windows in the grips that showed each Dust canister was a bit more than half-full. They met each other's gaze once again and eyed one another. Weiss realised something else as she looked into the woman's eyes. There would be no taking Ao into custody after this fight. Only one of them was making it out of this room alive.

* * *

Neptune tapped his foot impatiently on the tarmac as the airship settled down. The sun was beginning to drift towards the horizon now; with every millimetre it sank, his stomach sank a mile. The longer they took to get to Weiss, the more likely it was that something was going to go wrong.

_Damn it,_ he thought with a grimace. _Come on… hurry up!_

After a century, the back door to the airship folded down and Ruby tottered down it, rubbing at her eyes. She gasped in shock when Neptune appeared in front of her.

"Neptune! What are you—"

"Weiss has already gone in. She needs back up. We have to go. Now!"

Ruby was alert and serious in an instant. "Alright. Lead the way." She nodded for him to go on.

He smiled at her composure and took off at a run. They cut through the terminal and came out on another landing platform, where his airship was ready and waiting. It was smaller than the one Ruby had come in on, meant for use around the city rather than intercontinental travel. The door was open and waiting for them. Ruby dashed ahead of him as they approached and leapt onto the ship. Neptune jumped up after her and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Ready to go!" he shouted at the pilot. He got a thumbs up in return and settled down in a seat as the airship rocked. It rose steadily off the ground and shot out over Haven and into the airspace above Mistral.

"How long?" Ruby asked.

Unsure of what she was asking, Neptune floundered for a response. "It'll take us about five minutes to get there, and Weiss would have gone in ten minutes ago."

Ruby frowned and nodded. Her right foot was tapping frantically as she tried to keep herself calm. Neptune wanted to say something to calm her down, but had nothing. He hadn't seen Ruby in years, and they'd never exactly been the closest even when he was around. He'd gotten along with Weiss right off the bat, but whenever Ruby was around, the red-haired girl had only wanted Weiss' attention. So he opened his mouth, found he had nothing to say, closed it again, and then wished that Sun was around. He'd have known what to say. He always did.

Neptune closed his eyes and mentally kicked himself. _Stop it, Nep. More important things to worry about now._ When he opened his eyes, they were full of determination. He'd gotten Weiss stuck in this mess, and he'd be damned if he couldn't get her out of it.

He glanced out the window at the city speeding past. _Come on… Faster!_

* * *

They danced in the near-silence of combat. A pirouette. A lunge. A vault. Twisting and turning like a bough in the wind. They danced to the rhythm of footsteps, the clash of steel, the roar of Dust. The drumbeats of footsteps echoed off the concrete walls, and both fought the distraction that presented. The clang of cymbals as blade struck blade was like a thunderclap. Lights flickered as they danced to and fro. The shadows strewn about the sides of the room danced with them.

Caught in the furious dance, all Weiss could do was keep up. She lost herself in the flurry of combat. She didn't think, didn't plan. Not anymore. Now she just attacked, defended, dodged and desperately tried to keep her lungs full. With barely a moment to breathe before the next blow was struck, the latter was proving difficult.

Not to say that Ao was doing any better. The woman's black hair was sticking to her face, glued in place by the sweat that ran from her forehead and threatened to blind her. Her breath came out in ragged gasps, much like Weiss'. The canisters of Dust she had loaded into her blades had been exhausted mere moments ago and she'd not found a chance to reload.

That was the only goal Weiss was clinging to. She needed to keep Ao from reloading. The woman was an excellent Dust user; whoever had trained her was clearly a master. Not even the instructors at Beacon would be able to train anyone that skilful. But there was something… unnatural about it. Weiss had sparred with, and earnestly fought against, true Dust-wielding masters, and none of them had the level of control and finesse that Ao had.

Weiss spun Myrtenaster's cylinder and pulled the trigger. Time slowed. Weiss could pick out every strand of flying hair as Ao dashed toward her; they seemed to drag through the air with all the speed of a turtle in sand. A hint of surprise began to show on the woman's face—the only expression she had shown besides sadness since their duel had begun—and Weiss struck.

One of Ao's blades managed to deflect the blow upwards and to the side. The tip of the rapier sliced across her cheek rather than impaling her. Even with Weiss' distortion of time, the wound was healed before Myrtenaster had finished the cut. Ao's aura was still working perfectly, unlike Weiss: her aura was still recovering from the exertion of her landing. It was working, but nowhere near as efficiently.

There was a cut across her ribs—a lucky strike that Ao had slipped around her guard—and it was making it hard to move as she should. The wrong twist in her torso sent a spasm of pain down her side, and tore the half-healed wound open once again. Her aura had been trying to heal it for the last couple of minutes, and whenever it was almost done, it tore open anew.

Weiss struck again, with less success. Ao reacted quicker this time, and knocked the thrust cleanly to the side. The Huntress nearly stumbled forward as her blade met no resistance, but turned it into a tight spin and lashed out once again in an upwards slash.

Somehow, Ao moved at almost the same speed. She stopped the strike dead with the base of one sword, and swung at Weiss' head with the other. The Huntress, caught by surprise, was forced the dance backwards, giving Ao space—the last thing she wanted to do.

The woman danced away as well, creating even more space, and reached for her belt. Weiss muttered a sharp curse and strained her aura once again. A glyph appeared at her feet as she spun the cylinder of her weapon. She was launched forward and upward, lashing out with Myrtenaster. Blades of licking flame flashed downwards, engulfing Ao. Weiss held no hope that the fires had harmed the woman: she was merely trying to distract her.

Ao lunged, wreathed in flame, and a chunk of ice flew towards the falling Huntress. Weiss swore. With nowhere to go, the ice hit her. Though she blocked it with Myrtenaster, she was sent flying backwards and crashed into a pillar. With a groan, she forced herself to her feet and looked up.

She expected a monologue, gloating words of victory, or at least a maniacal grin. Instead, Ao checked to make sure her blades had been reloaded properly and looked at Weiss with those cold, emotionless eyes, waiting.

The Huntress gritted her teeth and readied her blade once more. A glyph propelled her along the floor in a rapid, long-distance lunge. Ao showed no reaction as Weiss bore down on her. At the last second, the woman stepped forward and to the left. With a flick of her right hand, she knocked Myrtenaster upwards. Then she spun, holding out her left-hand blade in a reverse grip. It was only Weiss' instinctual dodge that saved her life. Rather than the blade slicing into her side and tearing into a lung, it sliced across her ribs.

The Huntress cried out in pain as she felt blood flow down her side. Ao didn't give her time to dwell on it. In a flash, the woman was attacking again. This time, the flashing blades were accompanied by burst of flame and shards of ice. Weiss felt the burns blistering her skin and the ice cutting into her arms, but she focused on blocking the blades. Those were what would kill her.

Ice appeared on the floor beneath her feet, and Weiss stumbled. As Ao lunged forward to make the most of the opening, the Huntress plunged the razor sharp point of Myrtenaster through the ice and into the concrete. It held her upright, and she used it as a lever to flip herself up and to the left. Ao's lunged flashed by, barely missing, and the woman slipped away on her own ice.

Weiss tore Myrtenaster free as she spiralled upwards and spun the cylinder. As she began to fall, she unleashed another typhoon. Ao struggled to stay in one place this time, fighting back against the wind. Weiss dashed forward as she landed, still sending a gale ahead of her advance. The winds died as the Huntress jumped over the ice. Ao straightened and tried to bring up her weapons, but Weiss' feet slammed into her chest before she had a chance.

The woman was knocked backwards and slammed into the concrete. Weiss lunged forwards once again, and the woman flipped upwards to avoid it. Unable to ready herself before Weiss struck, Ao's attempt at blocking the blow only resulted in her left-hand blade being knocked out of her hand. Baring her teeth, Weiss pressed hard. She swung at the remaining weapon and, when Myrtenaster was deflected to the right, used the momentum of the swing to spin herself around. She lashed out with both feet. One hit the woman in the forearm, loosening her grip, and the other knocked the sword from her grasp.

Weiss didn't rest, even though her opponent was disarmed; there was no way Ao would give up. As she landed, she slammed a shoulder into Ao's chest and knocked the woman into a wall. The Huntress spun the cylinder and swung her blade. A long, jagged spear of ice appeared in the air and flashed towards the woman. The Huntress bared her teeth again.

Everything seemed to slow as the lethal shard of ice rocketed towards the unarmed woman's chest. Ao raised a hand as if to protect herself, and Weiss closed her eyes, waiting for the sickening crunch that was about to come as the ice shattered the woman's arm and impaled her.

But there was no sound. Weiss opened her eyes again and took a step back as a mix of shock and horror passed through her.

Ao's eyes were locked onto hers, filled with sorrow and mourning. Never had Weiss seen eyes as saddened as Ao's seemed right now. _"I _am_ sorry for this, Little Schnee." _Weiss had taken her words as a taunt—a cocky boast—but now she believed it.

The lance of ice was hovering in the air, inches from Ao's palm. A mist of vapour fell around it as it hung unmoving.

Weiss' mouth fell open. "H-h-how…" she breathed. Ao made no response.

Before Weiss could say anything else, the woman pushed. The spear tore across the space between them, and Weiss barely managed to get Myrtenaster in the way. The ice shattered around her. Before Weiss could react, Ao was leaping at her. The Huntress dove to the side and unthinkingly lashed out with Myrtenaster, sending another chunk of ice at the woman.

Ao raised a hand and the ice swung around her and snapped in two; each shard hovered above her shoulders as she waited for Weiss to get back to her feet. Weiss swore silently. She didn't know how Ao was doing what she was doing, but it wasn't good. Weiss had fought with Dust for her entire life; it had become a habit—an instinct. Trying to stop now would make this fight much more difficult.

The spears flashed forward. The Huntress back-flipped away and heard the ice shatter on the floor below her. As she righted herself, she caught a glimpse of Ao dashing towards her fallen swords. Weiss bared her teeth and spun Myrtenaster's cylinder. A burst of fire tore towards Ao. The woman barely looked as she waved a hand; the flame bounced off nothing and exploded against a pillar.

Weiss swore. A glyph sent her rocketing after Ao, but too slow. The woman scooped up her weapons, and spun to face Weiss' attack. No dodging this time. Ao swung her right-hand blade at the ground and a wall of ice sprouted up just in time to catch Myrtenaster. The Huntress jerked to a halt and cried out in pain as the wounds on her side tore open again.

Something sheared through the wall of ice at the bottom, and it toppled over. Weiss was pulled forward by her grip on Myrtenaster. She let the rapier go and was flung forward. She tried to spin as she flew and landed facing Ao, her shoes sliding a metre or two on the concrete.

Ao's expression still hadn't changed. A cloud of blue drifted around her, catching Weiss' eye. The blue dust drifted towards her swords and wrapped around the blades. For an instant, her grip tightened on the swords, and she winced slightly with effort; the cloud of Freeze Dust suddenly became ice. Ao's two short swords were now a pair of two-metre-long broadswords, forged almost entirely of ice.

Weiss glanced towards her fallen sword. Too far away. She'd never make it to the rapier before the blades of ice sliced her in two. Her aura was too exhausted at this point; she'd never survive another serious blow. Defying her determination to win, Weiss' eyes glanced towards the door.

"No, Little Schnee." Ao said. Weiss had thought the woman's eyes to be melancholic; her voice bespoke an even greater sorrow than eyes could ever convey. The last time Weiss had heard a voice like that was… when she'd left Ruby.

Remembering her betrayal of the love of her life wasn't an encouraging thought, but thinking Ruby's name was enough to stiffen her resolve. Ruby wouldn't run. Ruby would fight on, no matter what. _And so will I._ She was a Huntress after all.

A shadow of a smile flickered across Ao's face, and Weiss saw the same hint of respect as before appear amidst the sadness in her eyes. The Huntress grinned back; a joyless smile, filled with naught but determination.

Ao lunged then, and the ice seemed to sing. A cry to match Ao's sorrow filled the room as the blades came. Weiss danced back, but the blades seemed to grow, chasing her. She threw herself backwards and slid along the concrete on her side. The Huntress picked herself up and half-crawled, half-ran behind a nearby pillar. Ice hewed it almost in two; the blade that had cut into the stone stopped almost three quarters of the way through the pillar. The concrete creaked in pain and the ice snapped as Ao tore the blade free.

Weiss dove behind the next pillar, hoping to make her way gradually to her fallen weapon. Ao saw through the ruse immediately: a wall of flame appeared in Weiss' way. Weiss slid to a stop and dove back behind the near-destroyed pillar. She glanced at the wall of flame with no small hint of fear. She needed to move, needed to get Myrtenaster, needed to _fight_. Ice sang again, and Weiss knew that this time the pillar would prove no protection. Gritting her teeth, knowing that she was about to do one of the stupidest things she'd ever done, the Huntress threw herself through the wall of flame.

Pain covered her entire body, and she shrieked. When she came out the other side, her senses were overpowered by the piercing agony and the scent of burning hair. The world had turned white, and Weiss wasn't sure if she'd gone blind, or if she couldn't see through the pain. Regardless, the Huntress threw herself towards the weapon she knew was nearby. Her determination broke through the pain and the world shifted back into focus. Myrtenaster's grip appeared right in front of her hand, and she grasped it.

The feel of steel in her hand once again was like a salve for fears, pains, and doubt. With a weapon in hand, she could fight back. And fight back she did. She spun the cylinder and blew a gale through the room. The flames went out, and Ao was buffeted back by the wind.

Weiss' grin was wiped from her face before it even had a chance to really appear. A second after the wind began, Ao continued her advance. Her hair was flicked about by the hurricane, but the wind seemed to bend around her body and offered no resistance to her approach. Weiss swore. Whatever control this woman had over Dust, it was proving _very_ problematic.

Spinning her cylinder once again, Weiss charged through the wind and swung her rapier. A massive chunk of ice cut a swath through the winds, and Weiss met it with all the strength she had left. For an instant, she thought the ice would hold, but a burst of Burn Dust weakened it enough that Myrtenaster smashed through. The flames vanished before Ao had a chance to control them, and Weiss prepared to do the same for the other ice-blade.

The second blade swung toward her, and Weiss raised Myrtenaster to meet it. But before she could release the burst of fire, the ice shattered. Blinded by the sudden cloud of Dust and ice crystals sharp as glass, Weiss swung her rapier at the ground and released the flames, in an attempt to buy a moment to gather herself.

The flames exploded as soon as they left Myrtenaster's barrel, and engulfed the Huntress. She screamed in pain as she staggered, but tried her best to stay upright. They say that already burned skin feels the touch of flame worse the second time around, and that moment proved it true. Every place the flames had licked her before shrieked at her, and she almost lost her grip on her sword.

As the flames began to fade, and Weiss managed to contain herself, she turned towards Ao and raised Myrtenaster.

She felt a sudden jolt, heard a cruel _snick_, and then cold filled her veins.

The flames vanished in a whirl of heat, and Weiss was left standing in place, numb. She tried to breathe out, but something stopped her. The muscles just didn't want to move. Something warm touched her stomach. She raised a hand to her chest, unsure of what had gone wrong, and felt the heartless cold of steel.

Looking down, Weiss saw one of Shinu Ao's short swords buried to the hilt in her chest, right between her breasts. Her instinct was to gasp in shock, but something stopped her from doing that. The air wouldn't flow. The muscles still refused to move. There was a distant clatter as Myrtenaster fell from her hand, now gone numb.

Ao was standing chest-to-chest with Weiss, looking stoically at something—or nothing—behind the Huntress. The sorrow that she'd borne for the entire fight had never seemed more sincere, or less comforting. Weiss looked towards the woman's eyes, but Ao firmly kept her gaze averted.

"Know that I take no pleasure in this, Schnee." Ao said quietly, her voice as gentle as a lover's kiss. With a sigh, she twisted the blade.

Weiss felt something shift and tear inside her, and her eyes widened in the sudden blast of agony. It was too much to bear; her knees buckled, and she fell. The sound of Ao's blade sliding out of her chest, grating against the bone, was sickening. It wasn't until that moment, when the blood was let loose—like a cork pulled from a bottle of wine—that Weiss realised she was dying.

She toppled forward. The concrete didn't even hurt as she thumped into it, so numb was her body. Hands grabbed her and rolled her on to her back. Weiss looked up into the eyes of her killer and hadn't the strength to spit in her face. Ao held Myrtenaster in one hand, and grabbed Weiss' left hand with the other.

The killer pressed the grip of the rapier in Weiss' left hand, and rested the Huntress's right hand atop the left before straightening. "You fought well, Schnee. Let that be a comfort to you. A warrior of your calibre should die with their sword in hand." She frowned, as if wanting to say more, but turned away. "I'll leave you in peace," she sighed, with her back to Weiss. "It may be only a small comfort, or no comfort at all, but know that I _am_ sorry it came to this." And with that, the killer was gone.

The fingers of Weiss' right hand traced Myrtenaster's pommel, the sword she'd carried with the utmost pride for so many years. The weapon of a true warrior. A protector of the people. A Huntress.

She cast it aside.

The sword slipped from her grasp and clattered to the floor next to her. She didn't want to die a Huntress. She bared her teeth as she tried to suck in a breath, but still she couldn't. Her lungs cried out in pain, and black spots appeared before her eyes.

Weiss put all her remaining effort into raising her left hand to her throat. Her fingers—all feeling gone from them now—fumbled at the delicate chain that hung there. With an effort, she tugged it free and grasped the pendant in her fist. She raised the hand and gazed at the crimson rose that dangled free; the once unstained silver now painted red.

No.

She had lived as a Huntress; she wouldn't die as one.

She would die as Weiss Schnee: lover and—had she been given the chance—wife of Ruby Rose.

A tear ran down her face at the thought. She tried to sob, but whatever was stopping her breathing stopped that too. At the very last, even that was denied her.

Weiss didn't cry for herself. She'd been a Huntress for too long to fear death. She'd been ready for it ever since she'd been admitted to Beacon. But now, even having shed that cloak, she cried not for herself, but for Ruby. The little, red-haired girl who had tagged along after her ever since their first day at Beacon. The girl who had—ever so gradually—won Weiss' heart. The woman who would be shaken and broken to her very core because of this.

_Right as we were about to see each other again too,_ Weiss thought bitterly. She laughed—tried to at least, all she could manage was a small shrug—and winced at the pain that broke through the cold. _Just my luck._

Weiss Schnee pressed the rose—the only symbol she had of her Ruby—to her chest and closed her eyes. There was nothing left to see anyway; her vision had faded to black. Her body felt light as a fallen feather in a summer breeze.

An image of Vale appeared before her. The grass blowing back and forth in the wind that rolled in from the harbour. Weiss looked out at the bay from halfway up the hill she and Ruby had used for picnics. The city stretched out below her, and the light of the sun danced on the water.

A voice called her name.

Weiss turned to see Ruby at the top of the hill, with a smile on her face and her hand outstretched. Weiss took a step towards her love, a smile tugging at her lips. Ruby's smile widened.

"Come on, Weiss!" Ruby called, reaching further down the hill. "We're going to be late."

Weiss glanced over her shoulder once more, at the bay, and then reached for Ruby's hand. She opened her mouth to speak.

_"I love you, Ruby"_ She couldn't say the words, something stopped her, but they rang through the air nonetheless.

Ruby blushed and her grin widened until her teeth showed. "Come on!" She shoved Weiss playfully on the shoulder. "Everyone's waiting."

Weiss laughed as Ruby grabbed her hand and dragged her up the hill.

Weiss Schnee, the woman lying broken and bleeding on a concrete floor in a warehouse in Mistral, smiled. A drop of blood ran from her mouth and down her cheek. She squeezed the rose once more, for luck.

Her hand went limp.

* * *

Ruby and Neptune stepped of the airship and onto the roof of the warehouse looking around in confusion. There wasn't a single guard in sight.

"I thought you said this place was well-guarded," Ruby said over her shoulder.

Neptune shrugged at her back before peeking over the roof. "It _was_. I don't know why they're gone now."

"Well it can't be good. Come on. Let's find Weiss."

Ruby jumped off the roof and landed near the door to the warehouse. Neptune watched for a second before following suit. He was content to let her take the lead now. Ruby had always been the more accomplished fighter, and if it came down to saving Weiss, no one would fight harder than her.

By the time he reached the ground, she was already inside. The room was utterly empty. Not a soul in sight. The Huntsman frowned and looked around. The freight elevator—the first place Weiss would have gone after finding no one on the ground floor—was in the corner.

He and Ruby climbed down the ladder and came out in the basement. They glanced around, but the lights were only on in the centre of the room, making it difficult to make out any shapes near them.

It was eerily quiet. Neptune remembered that, even months afterwards. It was so quiet. Like a tomb. He couldn't help but make the comparison, and regretted it forever after. As they stepped into the middle of the room, into the light, Ruby's scythe clattered to the ground.

Neptune glanced at her and saw the moment when the colour left her face. Her skin turned as white as Weiss' hair and her mouth opened and closed frantically, like she was gasping for breath.

"No…" she breathed. "No no no no no no no." Terror crept into her voice.

Neptune followed her gaze and felt a sucker punch to the gut.

Weiss was lying underneath a fluorescent light, utterly still. The light glinted off the pool of blood that spread around her. Her hands were clasped at her chest, and—the most heartbreaking detail—she was smiling.

Ruby was next to her in a flash of rose petals. The Huntress came to a stop at the edge of the puddle of blood, as if unsure of how to proceed. Before Neptune had a chance to follow, she stepped in the scarlet pool, whimpering as the blood stained her boot.

She knelt down—her jacket dragged in the blood, but she didn't seem to care anymore—and touched a hand to Weiss' face.

"No… No no no. Come on, Weiss, wake up." Neptune heard her pleading as he approached with his heart in his throat. "Weiss… Please. Not now. You can't do this to me now."

"Ruby…" Neptune called out to her, but she didn't seem to hear him.

She shook Weiss' shoulder and Neptune caught a glimpse of the back of his old friend's white clothes, stained red. Ruby let out a sob as she said Weiss' name again. Neptune took another step closer, his shoe almost touching the pool of red, and half-raised his hand, but another whimper from Ruby stopped him in his tracks.

The Huntress wrapped her arms around Weiss and lifted the pale woman into her lap. A hand caressed Weiss' face, gently brushing a loose hair behind her ear.

Ruby rocked gently back and forth. "Come on, Weiss, wake up," she whispered, just on the edge of Neptune's hearing. "Come on. We were just about to become friends again… Don't do this to me, Weiss. Not now. Not after so long. Not when were so… close." The sound of Ruby's voice breaking was the most miserable, sorrowful thing that Neptune had ever heard. He felt his heart break at the sound.

"Weiss!" A hint of anger worked its way in Ruby's still-breaking voice. "Wake up! Don't do this!" She shook the unmoving woman. Weiss' hands came apart and something small and silver fell free.

Neptune stepped into the ring of red and grabbed Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby! Stop!"

Ruby lashed out, and Neptune grabbed her wrists, dragging her away. Weiss slumped back onto the ground, as if she didn't even notice all the blood she was lying in.

Ruby punched Neptune, sobbed, and punched him again. "She can't be gone, Nep. _She_ _can't be gone!_"

Not knowing what to do, Neptune wrapped his arms around Ruby. For a moment, the girl—for in that moment, that was all she was—fought back, but soon gave in and sobbed into his chest. Neptune held her, saying nothing, just watching Weiss.

Grief struck him then. She really was gone. The only consolation he felt was the peaceful smile she wore. At least she was at peace when she left. Though the tear that still clung to her cheek made him wonder what had been going through her mind at the end.

Ruby peeked out of his arms, towards Weiss, sniffling. As soon as she caught sight of the fallen Huntress, she wailed. She sank to her knees, her face buried in her hands, and wailed once more, her voice a mournful dirge to break the silence of the room.

Neptune didn't know how long he stood with Ruby at his feet, crying her grief. It felt like a year, maybe two. A lifetime. But eventually, Ruby's sobs subsided. Neptune looked away from the body of his friend and down at the red-haired girl.

She got to her feet, a fierce determination on her face. Her lips moved as she looked down at Weiss. "One for all; all or nothing." _What the hell is she talking about? _Whatever it was, a strength appeared in Ruby's eyes. One he hadn't seen in anyone before. She looked down at the body of the one she loved, and Neptune saw the instant where she stopped the tears, and hardened her heart.

Wiping away the tears that still rested on her cheeks, Ruby knelt next to Weiss once more.

"One for all, and all or nothing," she repeated. "I'm sorry, Weiss. Sorry I couldn't make it in time. If only…" Ruby shook her head as she trailed off. "Doesn't matter now, does it?" The girl let out a bitter laugh and stroked Weiss' cheek. She glanced at Weiss' chest, and reached out to touch the pendant that hung there.

"You kept it all this time…" she whispered as she picked up the rose and gently stroked with her thumb.

Ruby leaned over and gently pressed her lips to Weiss'. "I love you, Weiss."

The Huntress got to her feet, and Neptune saw a fire smouldering behind her eyes. There was grief there as well, but the strength in that fire held it at bay.

"I'm going to find who did this, Weiss. I promise you that." Taking a deep breath, Ruby tore her gaze away from Weiss' fallen body. The Huntress was a terrifying figure: blood soaked into her jacket, her boots, her pants, and was spattered across her shirt like a deathly mosaic. She looked down at her hands—not a speck of white skin was left visible—and clenched them into fists.

Ruby sent one last glance towards what was once Weiss Schnee.

"And then I'm going to make them pay."


	15. Changing First Impressions

If one stood atop the walls of Vale and gazed intently into the forest outside, they'd spot the flashes of flame as Yang fired into the pack of oncoming Grimm. Her hair was ablaze and her heart was racing. One Ursa managed to break through the barrage of fire and swing at her. She stopped the blow with one hand, grinned viciously at the monster, and destroyed its upper body with a single blow.

As the disembodied legs toppled to the ground and began to fade away, Yang renewed her assault on the oncoming Grimm. The ones in front died quickly, but the pack approached regardless. Within seconds, they were right on top of her.

She flipped backwards, gaining what little ground she could, took a breath, and leapt into the fray. Roars tore through the air and claws raked down tree trunks. Clots of dirt flew everywhere as the monster dashed around her. The roars gradually turned to cries of pain as Yang landed her first blow.

The flames around her grew hotter as the fight dragged on. There was so many Grimm that Yang didn't even consider trying to block every strike. She just took the energy from each blow they landed, poured it into her semblance, and unleashed it right back at them.

A surge of hope filled her as she spotted tree through the lines of monsters; they were beginning to thin out. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps now. The sight of the monster's numbers thinning was all it took to renew her vigour. Roars cut off as Ember Celica crushed skulls and shattered jaws.

An instant after the last monster fell, a howl echoed through the trees. The Huntress glanced around, searching for the source, but saw nothing but trees. A twig snapped behind her, and she spun towards the sound.

Her companion stood next to a tree, frowning down at the twig he'd stood on. The shirtless, axe-wielding mercenary straightened and hefted his pitch-black, double-bladed battle axe onto his shoulder.

"Having any trouble?" Something about his smug smile as he asked the question infuriated Yang to no end.

She turned away with a grunt. "Nothing I couldn't handle. You look like you took a beating though."

Raud glanced down at his chest, where a trio of claw-shaped gashes were slowly healing over. "What, this? I've cut myself worse shaving."

Yang rolled her eyes as she searched the trees. "You're supposed to shave with a razor, you know? Not your axe."

The mercenary laughed, but didn't reply.

Another howl echoed through the trees, followed by a loud rattle. Yang narrowed her eyes and searched the gloom with more intensity. The howl wasn't an issue; she could deal with a pack of Beowolves in her sleep. The rattle though… That was a Deathstalker. And given how loud it was, it had to be big. And it could be anywhere around them.

"Still think coming out here was a good idea?" Raud asked, a hint of worry in his voice. So even he knew when danger was around; he wasn't entirely stupid.

Yang didn't reply however. Something about the man made her refuse to admit he was right. But right he was: it had proven to be a fruitless search. Blake had been against it from the start, but Yang had been stubbornly determined to go.

_"There might be something outside the walls," _she'd said, hours ago. _"If they're trying to sneak Dust into the city, then we should at least check it out."_

If she was being completely honest, she hadn't expected to find anything. It was just an excuse to get out for a while, to burn off some pent up energy. After spending the last few days trying to find where the caves outside of Vale broke into the city, and finding nothing, Yang had needed to get out for a while.

"Are we going to look for it?" Raud asked, snapping Yang back to the present. "Or do you want to pull back?"

Yang pursed her lips. One Deathstalker they could handle; the only problem would be if it had other Grimm around it. The monster was still out of sight, hidden behind the wall of trees around them. There were no other sounds reaching them, which _could _ mean it had moved on. Or it could mean that it was about to attack.

Yang reached a decision. "Let's head back—"

There was a painfully loud snap, and something crashed to the ground behind her. Yang spun to face the noise and found herself face-to-face with a giant Deathstalker. The beast's body was as tall as Yang, and its tail, with the vicious stinger, towered over her. The scorpion locked eyes with her and rattled once again.

The stinger darted forwards, and Yang threw herself to the side. She rolled over and regained her footing quickly. Ember Celica roared as she fired into the beast's flank. Most of the shots skittered off its armour, but some struck solidly, cracking the white carapace that protected the monster.

The Deathstalker turned to face her and another gun roared. Yang glanced to her left and saw Raud approaching the monster, gouts of fire bursting out of the end of this axe. His shots proved no more effective than Yang's however, and he soon swung his axe up, ready to strike, rather than shoot.

A claw swung towards him, which he easily dodged. While he was recovering, the beast charged at Yang. The Huntress leapt to the side again, and grunted in pain as she felt a claw slam into her side. She hit the ground with a painful thud and tore up the grass as she slid for a few metres before coming to a stop near the base of a tree.

The monster was now standing directly in between Yang and Raud, facing Yang. She couldn't work out what she'd done to piss the thing off, but it only seemed to be focussing on her. Raud met her gaze and a moment of understanding passed through them. Yang nodded towards the monster and unleashed a barrage of fire.

The shots slammed into the Deathstalker's crossed claws as it hunkered down to protect itself. It took a few short steps towards her as she fired, but Raud ran up behind it a lot faster. With a blood-curdling roar, the mercenary leapt upwards and hacked clean through the monster's tail, near the stinger. The sting fell the ground and the scorpion let out a high-pitched screech of agony.

Then, unexpectedly, it charged. Yang, still firing, barely had time to cross her gauntlets in front of her and bolster her aura before the monster crashed into her and slammed her into the tree behind her. The trunk cracked and Yang cried out in pain. The claws of the giant scorpion were crushing into her abdomen, and Yang could feel her ribs bending inwards.

She pushed against the monster and sucked in a breath of air as the pressure was relieved, but it pushed back even harder and drove that breath from her lungs. Yang grimaced and poured the energy from the monsters crushing into her semblance. Flames sprung up around her, and Yang pushed back again. The claws lifted away from her. The Deathstalker rattled again, but it sounded like it carried a hint of confusion.

Yang pulled her legs up, planted her feet against the tree trunk and pushed with her whole body. The scorpion backed away slowly, and Yang pulled back on fist before firing into its vulnerable eyes.

The monster pulled away with a cry of pain and scraped both claws at its face. Yang grinned as flames raged around her shoulders. Before the beast had a chance to recover, Yang lunged towards it. She slipped under and inside its guard and threw a series of semblance-enhanced punches into its eyes. Before the claws could grab at her again, she danced backwards, letting out a laugh as she avoided the monster's mindless flailing.

The ground trembled under the monster's frantic footsteps as it thrashed in pain. Yang took the moment to reload Ember Celica, the new belt of shells sliding smoothly into place as the old ones were ejected.

The Deathstalker recovered as she prepared to strike again, lowering its claws and casting its gaze around the small clearing. It noticed Yang and rattled again before rushing at her. The Huntress ran towards the oncoming monster and jumped. One of the scorpions claws rose to swat her from the air, but she slammed a fist into the offending claw and sailed over the beast's back.

The monster's tail, now rendered harmless by Raud's axe, was laying limp and pathetic on the ground. Yang angled herself so that she landed next to it, one of her feet slamming into the wounded end of the tail. The Deathstalker screeched in pain and Yang stepped back; the monster spun to face her, yanking its severed tail back.

Yang cast a quick glance around, but didn't see Raud anywhere. She frowned to herself as she refocussed on the monster. _Coward_, she thought. _Finally facing a proper monster, and what does he do? _She clicked her tongue in annoyance and raised her fists, ready to continue the fight.

The Huntress and the Grimm faced each other, neither one making the first move. A twig snapped to Yang's right, and she instinctively glanced to the side. From the corner of her eye, she saw the hulking monster burst into action, rushing her. Yang swore and threw herself to the side before dashing towards a nearby tree.

The scuttling sound of pursuit reached her ears and Yang leapt at the tree's trunk, took a few steps up and jumped backwards. She flipped through the air gracefully and saw the Deathstalker directly below her. With a grin, Yang began to descend and cocked a fist.

Her aura-enhanced punch crashed into the monster's shell in the centre of its back. It wasn't enough to kill the thing, but it put a large crack in its armour and sent it sprawling on its stomach. The wind picked up as Yang vaulted off the monster's back; her hair danced on the breeze and the flames rose higher.

It took a second for the creature to regain its footing, the stick-like legs scrambling frantically for a footing. The wounded tail lashed out, catching Yang off-guard, and swept her off her feet. The Huntress grunted as she slammed into the ground. The Deathstalker bore down on her and Yang rolled backwards. She used the momentum of her roll to flip herself up and cocked a fist. She focussed her semblance and poured everything she had into the punch she was about to throw.

She looked up at a sudden _swish_, and then winced at the following _crack._

Raud stood on top of the now-dead Deathstalker, his axe embedded in the dirt beneath the monster. The monster let out another pained rattle as it front and back halves separated and toppled to the ground. The mercenary yanked his axe up and slung it over his back. The black vapour the Grimm dissolved into rose off the blade and the monster's blood faded away, along with the beast itself.

He hopped off the gradually fading monster and cast a look her way. Yang eyed him in return, saying nothing for a moment.

"I could've handled it," she said eventually.

Raud laughed and shook his head. "Not even a 'thank you'," he said with wry amusement. "You just don't have it in you, do you?"

Yang didn't reply. She looked up and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun that shone down on them. It was just a little after noon, by the look of it. The exact time didn't matter, but she knew that they'd need to head back in a few hours. Blake would want to know if they found anything—as unlikely as that was—by the end of the day.

With a sigh, Yang glanced behind her, in the direction of Vale. "Come on," she said. "Let's head back to the wall." _Better at least have a look while we're here,_ she added silently.

Raud didn't reply, but fell into step alongside her as she started through the trees. Yang glanced at him now and then as they walked. The mercenary was constantly alert, his gaze searching the gloom around them, darting from tree to tree. Yang did the same, if a little less intently, and searched for any nearby Grimm with her aura. She'd never been the best at detection, but it'd give her a few seconds warning at least. But she found nothing. The Grimm seemed to have all pulled back. _Guess they're not entirely stupid_, she thought.

The sun was hidden behind a cloud when they reached the man-made clearing between the trees surrounding Vale and the walls of the kingdom. The area was cast in a dull, grey gloom that had nothing to do with the plain stone of the wall, though that did add to the effect.

"Where to now?" Raud asked, his eyes still focussed on the tree line.

Yang pictured a map of the kingdom and its surrounding area, and put a small red dot where they were. She pointed to the left—west—and dashed the image from her mind. "That way. We need to get closer to where the caves line up with the wall."

They walked on in silence, but for the subtle sounds of footsteps on the grass and the clanking of weapons. A few minutes later, Yang came to a stop and checked her mental map again.

"I think this is it," she said, glancing up at the top of the wall. "The caves are out that way." She pointed directly away from the wall, into the forest. "So, assuming they run in more or less straight lines, the tunnels into the city should be right under us."

"And…?" Raud looked at her, uncomprehending. "What does that do for us?"

"I…" _I don't know._ But she couldn't say that. Not to _him_ of all people. "Just look around, okay? You never know."

The mercenary shrugged and turned away, looking around the tree line for any signs of… anything. Yang hadn't expected to find anything, not really, but she didn't want him rubbing that fact in her face either. She turned towards the wall with a huff and knelt down near the base of it, searching the ground for… she had no idea what.

_What am I doing? _she asked herself. _We're not going to find anything. There's no point in pretending I'm trying to be constructive here. _She shot a glance at Raud, who was now barely visible between the trees. _Why does what he thinks matter? He's a _mercenary_!_

As loathe as Yang was to admit it, even to herself, she knew why. Ever since she'd met him, she'd told herself she could take him, that she was better. And finding out he was a mercenary only reinforced that. She was a Huntress! She _had_ to be better than him. And she wanted him to know that too. As petty as it was…

_Gah!_ Yang shook her head and focussed on her menial searching. _Screw him._

As she searched, trying to force any thoughts from her head, Yang came across a few small shards of grey stone in the grass. With a frown, she looked up at the wall. After searching for a minute, and finding nothing, she looked down with a sigh of frustration.

Something at the base of the wall caught her eye. A chunk of stone—no bigger than her thumb—had come out of the wall, right at the base. Upon inspection, Yang also noticed a thin crack running up the wall from that chunk. She followed it up until she lost sight of it, but something told her that the crack was running up the entire height of the wall.

Yang heard something. Not a sound; more of a hint of a sound. The almost-sound of something slicing through the air at a vicious speed. She cocked Ember Celica as she spun, pulling a fist back.

Then she blinked and pressed herself against the wall as Raud's axe embedded itself in the stone, splitting the head of a young Beowolf that had apparently been right behind her. Yang stepped away from the beast as it shuddered and whimpered out its last breath before its body slumped to the ground. Half of the monster's head looked like it was going to sit neatly on the axe-blade, but it too slid to the ground.

Yang cried out in disgust and cast her gaze around. Raud was standing ten metres away, eyeing the corpse. He walked to the body and yanked his axe out of the wall without saying a word, then headed back to the trees. Yang watched him go without a word, raging at her herself all the while.

_How did I _miss_ that?_ she scolded herself. _Come on, Yang. Pull yourself together!_

She returned to her inspection, making sure to keep an eye and an ear on her surroundings. After finding nothing else of consequence, her gaze found its way back to the Beowolf Raud had killed. It was fading away quickly, but she could still see that it was a small creature; thin and sickly. Its limbs looked frail and she could see ribs through the thin hide. Some part of her felt a little sorry for it.

She looked at Raud once more. He was at the edge of the tree line now, glancing her way now and then as he searched. Yang sighed in frustration. She couldn't work out what annoyed her more: the fact that the Beowolf had gotten the drop on her, or the fact that Raud had saved her.

Something rippled through Yang's aura, snapping her out of her thoughts, and she glanced back the way they'd come. An Ursa was emerging from the forest, twenty metres away, sniffing at the ground. Yang hissed Raud's name and pointed. The mercenary nodded and readied his axe before sneaking towards the beast, using the trees as cover.

Yang waited until he was out of sight, and then whistled as loud as she could. The monster raised its head and looked around before narrowing its gaze on her. It charged with a roar and Yang fired two shots at it. The shot slowed it down briefly, but didn't stop it. As the monster neared, Yang stepped forward and swung a heavy punch. Her fist slammed into the beast's head and knocked it back.

The monster floundered on its back for a moment, and began to right itself, but before it could, Raud leapt from the tree and hacked through the Ursa's neck. Yang turned away as the beast began to dissolve and leaned against wall, breathing a heavy sigh.

"Everything alright?" Raud asked as he leant against the wall next to her. His eyes never stopped searching the forest.

After a moment of silence, "Why am I always the one getting attacked, while you get to hide?" Yang asked.

The mercenary laughed. "You don't last long in my kind of work if you throw yourself into the front lines all the time. You learn to pick your moments to strike."

The Huntress grunted and pushed off the wall, dusting off the backs of her legs. "Come on. We should head back."

Raud nodded and joined her as she walked. "So did you find anything?"

She glanced back at the crack in the wall for a moment before replying. "Not really. It's probably nothing." She'd get some guards to check it out when they got back. It probably just needed to be patched up.

Raud sent her a concerned look for an instant, then quickly shrugged and looked ahead. "So how far are we from the gate?" he asked.

Yang shrugged and looked up at the sky, interlocking her fingers behind her head. "Not sure. Half an hour or so."

"Are you sure you can put up with another half an hour of my company?" The man was clearly trying to joke, but Yang could hear the trace of bitterness in his voice.

She shot him a glance and frowned. He ignored her look. Eventually, she looked away with a sigh. "Hey, about that Beowolf back there…" Yang trailed off for a moment. "Thanks."

Raud looked at her as if an Ursa had just offered him a jar of honey. Then he have her an almost sad smile. "Don't mention it," he said quietly.

Yang returned the smile, albeit with more cheer, and patted him on the shoulder. _Maybe he _isn't_ so bad… _she thought. _He can hold his own in a fight, I'll give him that. _Feeling somewhat less animosity towards the mercenary, Yang walked on towards home.

* * *

They'd been walking for twenty minutes in near silence—only exchanging a few words here and there—and were getting close to the gates when Yang's scrolled buzzed. She pulled it out, smiled at seeing Blake's name on the screen, and answered the call.

"Hey, hun, we're heading back now. Shouldn't be more than another half an hour, if that."

There was nothing but silence on the other end, until Yang thought she heard Blake suck in a breath.

"Yang… Ruby's back."

Yang burst into a grin. "Already? It's only been a couple of days! Has she made up with the Ice Queen already?"

"No… Not exactly…"

The Huntress frowned. "What do you mean? Did Weiss not come with her? Did they have another fight?"

"Ruby and Neptune are here…"

Something was wrong. Yang could hear the hesitation, the sadness, and the fear in Blake's voice. Before she could ask what was going on, Blake beat her to it.

"Yang… Weiss is dead."

The massive gate into Vale was just coming into sight. Yang started running.

* * *

**A/N: So I feel like I should address a couple of things after all the... uh... _passionate_ feedback I got after last week's chapter. My regrets to anyone who felt offended or upset, or even cheated, by last week's events; in retrospect, I probably should have put a character death warning somewhere. That was a mistake on my part, and it has been corrected.**

**However, I won't apologise for what I wrote, and, as you can no doubt see from the above chapter, I'm not going to change my mind. If you wanted a safe, fluffy, happy-go-lucky story, then as much as I'd like to accommodate you, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. I'm going to tell the story I wanted to tell from the beginning, and that story might not be what a lot of you are looking for. It's not going to be pretty. It's not going to be safe. And, unfortunately, it's not going to be happy all the time. Like all stories, it'll have its moments, but a happy ending has no meaning if the rest of the story is just as happy. **

**So, I offer my regrets in advance for anyone who gets similarly offended or upset as this story continues. More characters are going to die as we go on, and not just the bad guys. If you don't want to read that, then I'll be sorry to see you go. I won't begrudge anyone their taste, but I won't change mine just to suit other people's.**

**For those of you who choose to stay, and see this story through, just know that—as sad as things may get at times—it'll all be worth it in the end. I'll make it all come good.**

**I promise.**


	16. Sharing the News

It was another forty five minutes before Yang and Raud burst through the door to Blake's office. The Faunus didn't notice the crash of the door slamming into the wall as Yang flung it open. She didn't hear Yang call her name, or speak in a pleading, desperate tone to Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Neptune, who were scattered around the office.

Blake was too far lost in her reminiscence to even realise where she was, let alone who was with her. Memories of Weiss played out before her eyes: images of the heiress smiling, laughing, and enjoying a shopping trip in Vale; the sound of her haughty anger as she scolded Ruby for some overzealous excitement, or a failed test; and the time the two of them had shared over the last year. Blake had been Weiss' only confidant when she'd left—and during the time since—and Blake had realised how much the heiress must have trusted her to confide in her like that, especially given how rocky the start of their friendship had been. All of this ran through her mind as she stared into her empty hands, as if blaming them for her inability to do anything to save her friend's life.

So it was a sudden shock when a hand clamped down on her shoulder and snapped her back to reality. Fingers dug into her shoulder, sending a jolt of pain up her neck, and she flinched in her seat, scooting away from the hand before looking up at the culprit.

Yang was crouched next to the chair with her face a little below Blake's, looking up at her with more emotion than the faunus had ever seen on her wife's face. A wretched cocktail of sadness, mourning, love, longing, pity, regret and frantic worry was painted across the blonde Huntress' face. The sight brought tears to Blake's eyes; she threw her arms around Yang and pulled her close, wiping the tears away on her wife's shoulder before she saw them. Some reasonable, logical part of her remembered that Yang would have enough to deal with in the coming days; Blake didn't want to pile her own grief on top of the woman when she'd have enough of a challenge consoling Ruby.

Nevertheless, the feeling of Yang's arms wrapping around her and squeezing tight was almost too much to resist. It made her feel… safe. Every fibre of the faunus—besides her singular, ever-so-quiet voice of reason—wanted to break down and Yang's presence made her feel like showing that vulnerability wouldn't be a bad thing . A choked sob escaped her, and she pressed her face even deeper into the crook of Yang's shoulder. A hand touched the back of her head lightly and stroked down her hair.

Yang crooned comfortingly in her ear, whispering reassurances and words of her love. It didn't make Blake feel any better, but it have her something else to focus on for a while. Slowly, she regained her composure and pulled back. With a thumb, she wiped away a rogue tear from the corner of her eye, then sniffed embarrassedly. Yang's hands came to rest gently on Blake's shoulders, and the blonde Huntress looked up at her again, wearing the same chaotic blend of emotion. With a smile, Blake reached out and wiped away a tear that was threatening to spill from Yang's eye. The corner of Yang's mouth tugged upwards, and she rocked forwards on the balls of her feet to plant a gentle kiss on Blake's forehead.

"How're you holding up?" she asked as she rocked back.

Blake smiled again, but knew it was a poor attempt at reassurance. "I… uh…. I don't know, honestly." She rubbed one of her eyes with the palm of her hand. "I don't think it's really sunk in yet."

Yang nodded solemnly. She watched the faunus for a few seconds, then drew her into another hug. Blake breathed in Yang's scent, turned her head to kiss Yang's cheek, then pulled back. She reached up to her shoulders and took Yang's hands in her own, pulled them down to her lap and squeezed them. Yang offered a reassuring smile and squeezed back, but Blake could see the worry growing in her eyes. A moment later, Yang glanced around the room, and panic flashed across her face.

Yang turned back to Blake and opened her mouth to speak. "Where—"

"At her apartment. I… I haven't seen her. They flew in a bit over an hour ago; Neptune came straight here, and told us Ruby was going home."

Yang nodded and swallowed. "I… uh…" Yang gave Blake a guilty, torn, pleading look.

The faunus nodded and gave her a small smile. "Go."

Yang raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you sure? Are you…?"

Blake nodded again. "I'll be fine. I'm sure… I'm sure she needs you more than I do."

Yang hesitated, watching Blake's eyes closely, and then nodded. She kissed Blake on the lips, too quickly, and stood straight. Yang hung onto one of Blake's hands, letting the other fall away, and looked down at her, a look of gratitude on her face.

"Call me if you need anything," Yang said. "Otherwise I… I'll probably stay the night there. Just to… you know… be there with her."

Blake smiled. "I'll let you know."

Yang gave her a small smile, leant in for another kiss, and left in a sprinting whirl of yellow. As soon as she left, Blake felt a coldness surround her, as if the sun had just gone out. Without Yang there to keep her warm, to keep her safe, a shudder wracked her. She grabbed her upper arms in each hand and hunched forward in an attempt to stop the shaking and was only marginally successful.

A hand came down on her shoulder and Blake looked up to see Pyrrha smiling down at her. The red-haired Huntress pulled a chair around and sat next to the faunus, wrapping an arm comfortingly around her shoulders. It wasn't as effective as Yang's presence had been, but it helped. Blake smiled her thanks at Pyrrha and leaned into her side, resting a head on the taller woman's shoulder and closing her eyes.

"So… what happened?" Jaune's voice broke through the silence that hung like an oppressive cloud.

Blake looked up at the Huntsman, feeling a jolt of anguish at the sadness in his voice. Jaune might be married to Pyrrha now, but he had been quite smitten with Weiss for a while in their first year at Beacon. While Weiss had never felt the same way, nor encouraged his feelings in anyway—in fact, she seemed downright annoyed by him almost every time they encountered one another—Jaune had always cared for her. His feelings had become more platonic in their second year, but he'd always kept an eye out for her.

Neptune looked up, expressionless, and sighed. He'd run through the story briefly to Blake when he'd arrived, but Jaune and Pyrrha had arrived minutes ago—not long before Yang had. Nora had arrived before the pair, and Ren was still nowhere to be found.

Movement near the door caught Blake's eye; Raud was quietly leaving the room and crossing into Kelly's office. The woman sat behind her desk and glared up at the mercenary, opened her mouth, and then Blake's office door clicked shut.

The faunus frowned for a moment. What could Raud have done to upset Kelly that much? They'd seemed to be getting alone well over the last few days…

_Never mind_. She shook her head and turned her attention towards Neptune, who looked like he was struggling to find words.

"I… uh…" The Huntsman ran a hand through his light-blue hair and grimaced. "We don't know, honestly."

Everyone in the room frowned, just as Blake had. _What do you mean you 'don't know'? How can you _not_ know what happened!? _Blake's words of anger came back to her, and she laid a hand on Pyrrha's hand as the red-haired Huntress opened her mouth to—undoubtedly—say the same.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked. His voice was frighteningly calm.

Neptune went into a long-winded, detailed explanation of the lead up to the event. He explained how Weiss was the only one who had been able to sneak into the warehouse—other than Ruby—and how, once their quarry had gone into the building, Weiss had been given no choice but to go in.

"Ruby and I followed as quickly as we could, but…" He closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head ever so slightly. "When we got there… she was already…"

"Alright," Jaune interrupted him. "Don't force yourself." Neptune gave the blonde Huntsman a look of gratitude.

"Do you know who did it?" Pyrrha asked. The Huntress' chest vibrated comfortingly against Blake's ear as she spoke; the faunus closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath.

"No," Neptune replied. "They were gone by the time we got there, and there was nothing left in the warehouse. All we learnt about these people is that they're dangerous, and they don't want to be found."

"Did you find out anything about who it could be before she went in?" Jaune asked. His voice was almost emotionless, but Blake heard a slight hesitation before 'went in' and a tremor in his voice as he avoided using Weiss' name.

"Not really. That's why we needed to go in so badly. All we know is that they're working with the Schnee Dust Company in Mistral and we _think_ they're getting extra Dust shipped in, so they can smuggle it out of the official shipments."

"Dust, huh…" Jaune's voice trailed off as he pondered.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha sounded concerned.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just… thinking…"

Blake opened her eyes and looked at the Huntsman. He was rubbing at his chin thoughtfully, looking at the ground.

"You think it has something to do with what's going on here," Blake said. It wasn't a question. She was thinking the same thing.

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. "I don't want it to be true—if they're smuggling Dust from other kingdoms in as well, then we're in serious trouble—but we should probably consider the possibility, at least."

Neptune glanced back and forth between them, confused.

"Rather consider it, and be wrong, then not, and have it be true?" Blake muttered.

"Exactly."

She and Jaune both sighed. Things were getting worse by the moment. They barely had the time to mourn a fallen comrade; the threat to Vale was demanding all their focus.

"What are you—" Neptune began.

Blake turned to him and cut in. "Something similar to what's happening in Mistral is happening here. But where you had Dust being smuggled _into_ the city, we've been having Dust shortages for months. It was only recently we started investigating it and realised something was going on."

"So you think…"

"They're connected, yes. Though that doesn't help us; it sounds like you were doing about as well with your investigation as we've been doing with ours."

"So what do we do?" Nora asked. It was the first she'd spoken since coming to Blake's office. Her reaction to the news—or lack thereof—was a little frightening, actually. She'd heard from Neptune—Blake hadn't been in any condition to talk at the time—nodded solemnly, sat on the couch, and not said a word until now.

Blake looked at her, racking her brain for their next move. It was a good question. This news didn't change their investigation; they could proceed as they had been. They knew now that the enemy was more dangerous than Blake had originally thought, but that shouldn't stop them. But something held her back.

"I… I don't know," she whispered, sinking back into Pyrrha's embrace. Another wave of grief washed over her; she fought back tears once more. _Weiss would know,_ she thought. _The Ice Queen would tell us all to harden up; that Huntresses died, and there was nothing we could do about it but move on._

A sob escaped her, and she choked back another that followed on the heels of the first. Pyrrha tightened her arms around the faunus and rested her head on Blake's. Blake sucked in a breath and tried to keep herself from sinking into despair again.

"So…" Jaune spoke awkwardly; the way he spoke when he knew he was liable to get in trouble for what he was about to say. "Where is she?"

Neptune didn't even look up. "In the morgue, here. A Schnee solicitor flew into Mistral once the news went to her family; apparently her father wanted her to be buried in the Schnee family crypt, but Ruby wouldn't have it. I've never seen her that angry…"

Blake nodded. It was tradition for Huntsmen and Huntresses to be buried at the academy they'd trained at. More than a tradition, actually: it was written into international law that a Huntsman would be buried at the academy they'd trained at, unless they requested otherwise in their will.

"The solicitor didn't put up much of a fight. He said that no matter how adamant her father was about it, there was no chance of winning. Afterwards, he told us that Weiss' will stipulated that she wanted to be buried here, no matter what."

Tears threatened to spill from Blake's eyes once again. Weiss had always been determined to come back to Vale someday. Before she'd went to Mistral, she'd been hopeful that she could come back with Ruby, and everything could return to normal. Things hadn't panned out the way any of them had wanted, but—as little a comfort as it was—at least Weiss was back.

"Do you think…" Jaune spoke in that same tone again. "Do you think we could go and see her?"

"_Jaune!_" Pyrrha scolded him from across the room, and tightened her hold on Blake protectively. Jaune shied away, holding up his hands placatingly.

Neptune shook his head. "The coroner met us on the landing pad; he said that anyone who may want to visit her has to wait until the funeral."

Most Huntsmen's funerals were open-casket affairs. The only time it was closed was if the body couldn't be recovered or if the cause of death rendered the body unrecognisable. Weiss' funeral service would take place in Beacon's amphitheatre within twenty-four hours. Academy's had grown accustomed to making funeral preparations quickly, and all Huntress or Huntsmen funerals were fully funded and organised by the academy at which they would be buried.

Jaune looked down, looking chastened. Pyrrha's hand stroked down Blake's hair comfortingly. After a while, Blake closed her eyes and felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her. As she drifted off to sleep, she could almost pretend that the arms around her were Yang's.

* * *

It took Yang far longer than she'd have liked to make it to Ruby's apartment. The traffic had been a nightmare, and she'd been caught by almost every single red light between Beacon and the apartment building. Eventually, she pulled her bike to a stop out the front of Ruby's building. She looked up as she took her helmet off and saw all of the curtains were drawn in Ruby's apartment. With a sigh, she dismounted her bike and walked towards the building.

The door was closed, so Yang approached the panel next to it and pressed the button for Ruby's apartment. After a moment of silence, there was a click—the sound of someone answering the call—but no other sound.

"Ruby, it's me. Can you let me in?"

Another moment of silence. Yang narrowed her eyebrows as she heard a faint noise on the other end of the call. It sounded like… voices. No… _A_ voice. Weiss' voice?

There was a buzz and a click, and the door to the building swung open. Yang shook her head and walked inside.

Other residents smiled in greeting to her as she passed; it took everything she had to give them convincing smiles in return. The elevator shot her up to the top floor, and Yang had to hold herself back so she didn't run to Ruby's door.

As she reached the door, she knocked and held her scroll in front of the scanner. It wouldn't unlock the door, but it would let Ruby know who was knocking. There was another click, and Yang turned the doorknob; it swung open.

The apartment was dark. No lights were on; all the curtains were drawn.

"Ruby?" Yang winced at the almost frantic tone of worry in her voice.

"In here." The response came from the living room; through a door to Yang's left.

There were no lights on in this room either. It was illuminated solely by the constantly flickering and changing light of the TV. Ruby was curled up in a ball on the lounge, holding a pillow. A half-eaten block of chocolate sat in its wrapper on the coffee table, along with an empty plate of what Yang judged—by the few remaining crumbs—to have held a pile of cookies.

Ruby looked away from the TV as Yang entered the room, giving her older sister a sad smile. That smile broke Yang's heart. It was so… resigned. It wasn't meant to be reassuring, nor was it filled with fake-happiness. It was a smile of… acceptance? Yang couldn't describe it—not with any certainty—but it wasn't the look she had expected.

"Hey… How're you holding up, Sis?" Yang asked as she crossed the room.

Ruby's lips twitched and she gave a half-shrug with one shoulder. As Yang drew near, Ruby held out a hand. Yang took the hand in her own, dropped onto the lounge and pulled Ruby over so that she was resting her head in Yang's lap.

Yang looked up and flinched at what was on the TV. She had been right, she realised. She _had_ heard Weiss' voice. And she heard it now, coming from the TV; she'd just been too focussed on Ruby to notice it until now.

A home video was playing on the TV, showing Weiss laughing, smiling, and pushing at the camera. Yang recognised the video. The four of them—Team RWBY—had gone for a picnic in the spring holiday of their fourth year. Ruby had spent most of the outing passing a camera around, making sure the entire thing was filmed from one angle or another.

The Weiss on the screen reached towards the camera, turning the screen black. There was a flash of white as Ruby pulled the camera away and the lens readjusted to the light.

"Come on, Ruby!" Weiss said. Her tone was half-amused, half-frustrated.

A smile spread across Yang's face as she remembered the moment. Ruby had been trying to film Weiss eating, something the heiress had been adamantly against.

"Ruby, I made this for you for this picnic! If you don't put the camera down, you can't eat any of it!" Weiss snapped.

There was a laugh off camera and another voice—one that Yang didn't recognise—chimed in. "Don't put the camera down, Sis! We all know what Weiss' cooking is like. Avoid that stuff for as _long_ as you can!"

With a flash of remembrance, Yang realised it was her own voice; she remembered teasing Weiss for her cooking a lot in their last year. The heiress had decided that she was sick of Yang getting all of Ruby's praise as a great cook, and had started trying to best her. The results had been… less than ideal—terrible, really. Though Weiss' cooking _did_ improve—Yang remembered enjoying the food she had prepared for that picnic quite a lot—it had remained a sore spot for her, one that Yang was more than happy to poke.

"Quiet you!" Weiss snapped, turning her head to the right of the screen. The camera panned across just in time to see Yang throw her head back and laugh, while Blake shook her head in sufferance.

The faunus reached towards the camera. "Give it here. I'll film; you eat." As the camera was passed across, it caught a glimpse of Weiss rolling her eyes and throwing her hands up in exasperation.

When the picture settled down it was focussed on Ruby as she picked up a small, delicate-looking sandwich. She looked at it for a few seconds, turning it this way and that, before looking up at Weiss. "What's in it?"

"Oh just eat it, Ruby. You'll like it; I promise!"

Ruby gave Weiss a sceptical glance and took a bite of the sandwich. As she chewed, the camera zoomed out until Weiss was included in the shot. The heiress might have tried to hide how much she cared for Ruby, but the expectant look on her face as she waited for Ruby to swallow showed how much she really wanted Ruby to like her cooking.

Seconds later, Ruby swallowed her bite of sandwich and looked at Weiss.

"Well?" the heiress asked after a moment of silence.

Ruby shoved the rest of the sandwich into her mouth and grabbed another three from the container on the blanket. Weiss sat back with a satisfied grin and shot a small smirk at Yang.

Yang, in Ruby's apartment, rolled her eyes, the same way she remembered doing in response to Weiss' smirk.

She looked down at Ruby. The Huntress' eyes were fixed to the screen; Yang could see a distorted view of the video in the reflection of Ruby's eyes. Yang placed a hand on Ruby's hand and began stroking Ruby's hair, running her fingers through it every few strokes.

Ruby closed her eyes and took in a slow, deep breath.

"I don't know what to do, Yang," Ruby said. Yang reached over for the remote and turned the TV down, saying nothing. A second later, Ruby continued. "I just… I can't believe it." She let out a bitter laugh. "It doesn't feel much different, which I think is the worst bit. For the last year, she's been gone, and I think I just got used to feeling that way."

"Ruby…" Yang scrambled to find the words she needed. That wasn't healthy. Not feeling anything at the death of a loved one was _not_ a good thing. Had Ruby's year of killing Grimm to avoid her grief over Weiss affected her more than they'd realised?

"Don't get me wrong, it hurts. I don't think _anything_ has ever hurt this much." Ruby's voice broke, and Yang saw a tear spill out of her eye. "We were so close, and now she's just… gone. Again. It hurts _so_ much; I don't even know how I made it back here. I can't get her face out of my mind, just lying there. There was so much blood, Yang… I've never seen that much blood before. And it was _Weiss_ and…"

Yang swallowed. A lump rose in her throat, and she didn't want to speak, lest a sob escape instead.

"But, I think I'll be okay… She's been gone for a long time, and I've felt like… well… _this_ for the last year. I think I'll pull through." Ruby looked up at Yang and smiled. This smile was a little more reassuring than the one Yang had received on her arrival.

The smile vanished a moment later, and Ruby looked back at the screen. "I've just got this… anger, just… _building up_. Every part of me is screaming to hunt down the people that did it, to kill them, to avenge Weiss. I promised her I'd make them pay, Yang. But I don't even know where to start. Honestly, I… I think that's the worst feeling."

A tear ran down Yang's cheek; she dashed it away with her free hand.

"Yang, what do I do?" Ruby's voice dropped to nearly a whisper.

Yang smiled through the tears that threatened to spill over. "I don't know, Sis. I don't know. But you know we'll all help you, right?"

Ruby looked up at her. "But it was _my_ promise—" She cut herself off and looked away. "All for one; all or nothing." It was barely a whisper; Yang wasn't even sure she'd heard it. The words didn't make much sense anyway.

"Ruby," she said, with more force. "We'll help. We want to catch them too. Weiss was our friend as well."

Ruby nodded. "I know." She looked up and smiled. "Together, then."

Yang smiled down at her sister and nodded. "Always."

They both turned back to the TV just in time to see Ruby pull Weiss in for a deep, loving kiss. Weiss' usually pale cheeks turned a bright red, but she didn't pull away. Eventually, they separated, gasping for breath. Ruby grinned at Weiss as the heiress scolded her again.

Yang continued to stroke Ruby's hair, and—finally—let a tear fall down her cheek. She'd just lost one of her dearest friends. They may have clashed at times, but Yang had always cared for the heiress. They'd saved each other's lives on enough occasions to become best friends; it was only their shared stubbornness that had prevented them from showing that to the other.

Up until now, Yang had been too worried for Ruby to let herself cry. But now, being with her little sister, Yang saw that Ruby was going to be okay. It would hurt—for all of them; for a long time—but eventually, they'd all be okay. Ruby wasn't going to go off the deep end, like she had before. She wanted to hunt down the killers, which was fair enough.

_And I'll be there to help her all the while, and to keep her in line._ She'd be damned if she was going to let Ruby sink into another depression like she had for the last year.

So, with Ruby's head in Yang's lap, and Yang's hand running through Ruby's hair, the two sisters sat and watched the memories of their lost friend play out on the screen before them. They both cried, and both took comfort in the other. They remained like that for hours, until the sun set, and until the home videos stopped playing. But by that point, they were already asleep.


	17. Farewell

**A/N: I'll preface this chapter by saying that it's not really a happy one. Given the sudden, shocking news of Monty Oum's passing, I almost didn't release this chapter, but Monty always advocated creativity. He always wanted people to create. Even if it's bad, even if no one likes it, at least people are trying. So I decided that I'd release this chapter anyway. It's a horribly unfortunate coincidence that this week was the chapter in which I was going to detail Weiss' funeral. So if the idea of reading about a funeral sounds like it's too much for you right now, I'd advise waiting a while to read this chapter. No judgement. It was hard for me to write—Monty's passing shook me up as well—I'll understand if it's hard to read. That being said, I did try to end this chapter on a somewhat positive, hopeful note. And this will be the last chapter dealing with Weiss' death. Next week, we'll be back to the usual mystery-and-action-packed story that we had before.**

* * *

Weiss' funeral was a simple affair. The amphitheatre at Beacon was filled with rows of chairs, and almost all of those seats were filled an hour before the service was set to begin. Beacon faculty, Huntsmen, Huntresses, Beacon students who had known Weiss before she had graduated; there were hundreds of people there to wish her farewell.

Blake sat in the front row, with Jaune and Pyrrha sitting to her left, and two empty seats on her right. Ruby and Yang had yet to arrive, and Blake was getting worried. The service was set to start in five minutes. Once the service started, no one would be allowed to approach the casket, and once it was over, the casket would be closed and taken for burial.

The casket was on a table on the stage, next to the lectern that Ozpin would speak from. It was barely ten metres away from where Blake sat, and she could almost feel Weiss calling out to her. An empty, cavernous maw opened up in her stomach, and she fought back more tears as she thought—once again—that one of her best friends was lying in that box. Blake had refused to approach the casket; she didn't want that to be her last memory of Weiss.

The last time she'd seen Weiss had been in their last video call, before Weiss had gone to Mistral. They'd ended that conversation with Weiss deciding to call Ruby later that day, to try and fix their relationship. She'd seemed so happy; grinning from ear to ear and barely able to contain it. She'd been so full of hope. _That_ was how Blake wanted to remember her.

She got out of her chair and glanced towards the door, but Yang and Ruby were still nowhere to be seen. _Damn it. Where the hell are they? _Blake had talked to Yang earlier that morning and made sure that the pair were coming. She had been a little worried when Yang didn't come home, but had managed to convince herself that Ruby needed Yang more than she did.

As she moved to sit down, she glanced over the crowd once again. This wasn't the first time she'd browsed through the other attendees, but Blake still hadn't caught sight of Weiss' family. She'd expected them to be in the front row, but they could well be hidden in the mix of people further back. And she'd have no chance of picking them out of that; there were just too many people here. _They're here_, she told herself. _Of _course _they're here. They wouldn't miss her funeral._

Pyrrha laid a hand on her arm and gave her a concerned look. Blake shook her head and sat forward, placing her hands on her stomach. She felt sick; the hole in her stomach felt like it was getting wider by the second. Nothing she did made her feel any better. How could it? Weiss was gone; she couldn't change that. Pyrrha's hand lingered on her shoulder for a moment, and then pulled away.

Footsteps approached and—as Blake turned towards them—another hand touched her other shoulder. Yang smiled down at her and slipped into the adjacent seat.

"Told you we'd make it," Yang whispered as she wrapped an arm around Blake.

The faunus pressed herself into Yang and took comfort in her familiar warmth. The gaping pit inside her seemed to close up and she wrapped her own arms around Yang's midriff and squeezed. This was what she needed. With Weiss gone… she needed Yang.

"You cut it a bit close," she replied. She pulled a small measure of her usual cheer as she scolded Yang.

"Sorry about that." Yang turned around to look behind her. "Ruby… uh… took a while to get ready."

Blake looked up, worried. "How is she?"

Yang looked back down and gave her a small smile. "How are any of us?" she asked with a hint of bitterness. "But she's not any worse off. She's holding it together."

Blake smiled. That was good. Ruby had been bad enough when Weiss had left; she'd been worried how much worse things could get now that Weiss was… Stopping the thought there, Blake dashed away a tear.

Yang got to her feet and turned towards the door. Blake looked up at her for a moment and followed suit. Across the crowd of people, Ruby was looking in through the door. Yang waved at her, gesturing her to come in. Blake glanced to the other side of the room and saw Professor Ozpin getting up. It was time to start. He met Blake's eyes and gave her a questioning look. Blake nodded towards Ruby, who was now taking a step inside. Ozpin followed Yang's gaze, saw the nervous Huntress and nodded before sitting back down. Blake silently thanked him. Of all of them, Ruby needed to be able to say goodbye before she lost the chance.

Ruby's footsteps echoed like drums in the silence of the amphitheatre as she walked down the aisle. She seemed to fold in on her herself as she walked, looking to each side at all the people gathered; she'd never dealt well with crowds of people.

Yang took a step towards her and held out a hand. Ruby hurried the last few metres and took it. Yang murmured into Ruby's ear; Blake couldn't make out what she was saying. Ruby hesitated for a moment, glanced towards the stage, and nodded. Yang patted her on the shoulder and sat back down, pulling Blake down with her.

Ruby looked towards the casket and took in a breath. She approached it slowly. Blake watched in fear as Ruby laid a hand on the side of the casket. Something glittered on Ruby's cheek and fell to the floor. She reached a hand into the casket and smile sadly. Her lips moved. Then her brow furrowed and she leaned in, as if to inspect something.

Before anyone could react, a heaving sob racked her. Ruby's shoulders trembled as she began to cry, and it wasn't long before her whole body was shaking. Her legs gave out, and Ruby slumped to the floor, letting out a howl of grief. The sudden destruction of the silence that had lingered in the room until now made it all the worse.

Yang and Blake leapt towards the stage. They each took one of her arms and pulled her to her feet. Her whole body was shaking violently, like a terrified rabbit, or a person with hypothermia. Tears ran down her face, and she choked out sobs.

"Come on, Ruby," Yang whispered. "Hey, come on, we're here. It'll be okay."

Ruby slumped to the ground again; her legs seemed incapable of supporting her own weight. Somewhere in her sobbing, Blake heard her calling Weiss' name. Tears sprang into her own eyes, and it took everything she had to keep it together. With Ruby breaking down like this, the last thing anyone needed was Blake joining in.

Yang met her gaze and nodded towards the door. Blake nodded, and Yang swung Ruby into her arms and carried her back down the aisle and out the door. Blake met Ozpin's gaze and nodded for him to start the service. The headmaster had been halfway to the stage already, and merely nodded. As Blake passed him, moving to follow Yang, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Look after her, Blake." That was all he said, but his eyes showed the depth of his sorrow.

The faunus nodded and hurried out of the amphitheatre.

Yang was sitting against the wall a few metres away, with Ruby on her lap. Ruby's face was pressed into Yang's shoulder and her body was trembling; even from where Blake stood, she could hear the sobs. Yang's arms enfolded her sister and held her close. She looked up at Blake for a moment, her expression hopeless.

The faunus hurried over and knelt next to Yang. She put a hand on Ruby's back and tried to console the weeping Huntress while she met Yang's gaze.

"I thought she was okay," Blake muttered.

"She _was_," Yang replied, looking down at Ruby. "I don't know…" At a loss for words, Yang tightened her arms around Ruby. She began to sway forward and back, talking quietly to Ruby. "Come on, Sis. It'll be okay. It'll all be okay."

Surprising both of them, Ruby pushed away from Yang and glared at her. Yang gaped back at her, unsure of what to say to the anger that blazed in Ruby's eyes.

"You're lying!" Ruby hissed. "How can it be okay? Weiss is _gone_, Yang! How can anything be okay? Now that… Weiss…" Her furious words dissolved into sobs. When Yang tried to pull her close again, Ruby pushed the blonde away. She toppled off Yang and hit the floor on all fours, sobbing. Her hair hung down, obscuring her face, but Blake could see tears dripping onto the floor beneath her.

Ruby swung a fist up and, before Blake or Yang could stop her, brought it slamming into the concrete floor. Blake was on her in a flash, pinning both of Ruby's arms in place, and flipped around and pulled Ruby into her lap, where she wrapped her arms around the still-sobbing Huntress. Ruby struggled to break free, but Blake just squeezed tighter.

"Let me _go_!" Ruby hissed. The faunus pressed her forehead against Ruby's back and shook her head. "Blake, let go of me!" Blake just tightened her grip again.

She buried her face in Ruby's back, hoping it would hide her own tears. They'd known that Ruby would be heartbroken, but knowing it and seeing it were two completely different things. Seeing Ruby like this… it was enough to break Blake's heart all over again.

Yang sat down next to them. "Sis, calm down. It'll be okay."

"It's _not_ going to be okay, Yang!" Ruby snarled. "How can _you_ be so 'okay' right now? Weiss is _dead_! Why am _I_ the only one that seems the least bit upset about that!?"

A sob escaped Blake. She couldn't help it. She's been heartbroken ever since she'd found out; Weiss had been one of her best friends. And Ruby thought she wasn't the least bit upset? Her arms went limp; Ruby slipped from her grasp; Yang was there to catch her.

Yang planted her hands on either side of Ruby's head and pressed their foreheads together. "Don't be an idiot, Ruby. You're smarter than that. You know we cared about Weiss too. None of us had what you had with her, but we all cared. _All _of us. Look at Blake."

Yang twisted Ruby around and forced her to look down at the faunus. Blake was lying limp on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, tears running down her cheeks. A sob escaped her, and Ruby began to struggle again. Yang was the stronger however, and pulled her back around.

"You're not the only one who's heartbroken," Yang continued. "And don't you _dare_ say that none of us care! None of us are okay. We're just holding it together because we want to be here for _you_!"

Yang brought their foreheads together again with force; neither of them winced at the impact. The sisters stared into each other's eyes, saying nothing. Blake composed herself, wiping away her tears, and sat up. Voices reached her ears, coming from the amphitheatre; Ozpin must have started the service. Neither Yang nor Ruby seemed to notice.

Blake reached a hand towards the two, but stopped. Something in the intensity of Yang's gaze—even though it wasn't directed at her—made her falter. It was the same face Yang wore whenever she was fighting. Even though Blake was behind Ruby, and she couldn't see the younger Huntresses face, she knew that Ruby would be the same.

Seconds ticked by, and neither spoke. Neither moved.

Ruby broke first.

A shudder ran through her body, and she collapsed against Yang. Yang's only reaction was to wrap her arms around her sister; her face never changed.

"It hurts, Yang." Ruby's voice was muffled by Yang's clothes, but it was still audible. "It hurts so much."

Yang's arms tightened around Ruby. "I know it does, Sis. I know."

"Why won't it stop?" A shudder ran through Ruby's body.

"Because you loved her."

Ruby nodded. "I… just… I can't do this, Yang. I keep losing people. First Mom, now Weiss… I don't want to lose anyone else…"

Yang pulled Ruby up and looked into her eyes. "Hey, enough of that. You've got me and Blake. We're not going anywhere."

Ruby blinked through her tears. "You promise?"

Yang's battle face broke into a smile. "Of course. And when have I ever broken a promise?"

Ruby smiled back. "Never."

"Damn straight. Isn't that right, Blake?"

Blake nodded. "Of course. We're right here, Ruby." Ruby glanced over her shoulder at the faunus and smiled. On a whim, Blake stepped toward the two and reached out. They opened their arms to let her in, and the three wrapped their arms around each other, pressing their heads together in the centre of the small circle they formed.

"I don't want to lose you two as well," Ruby said, her voice almost a whisper.

"We're not going anywhere," Yang and Blake replied in unison.

The three smiled at each other—though none of the smiles carried the joy their bearer usually had—and stepped back. A few more tears ran down Ruby's cheeks, and she didn't bother to wipe the away. Blake gave her another sad smile. Those tears wouldn't stop for a long time, they all knew that, but at least Ruby looked better. She was holding it together.

They sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Blake sat on the left, Yang on the right, and Ruby in the middle. Both Blake and Yang held one of Ruby's hands, squeezing reassuringly. Now that they were calming down, Ozpin's voice was more audible as it reached them from behind the door to the amphitheatre.

"For all who knew her, Weiss Schnee was an inspiration, and those who didn't are lessened by having never met her. It is rare that someone who already has a path in life chooses to abandon it for the life of a Huntress. It is not an easy life we lead, but Weiss chose it above any other. And rare is the student who displays the ability that she possessed. Beacon was lucky to have her as a student, and Vale—no—all of Remnant was lucky to have her as a guardian.

"But even more than being a gifted Huntress, Weiss Schnee was a singularly incredible person. Any who met her in these halls can attest to her determination, her drive, her passion for learning and her constant striving for success. She set a shining example for any students following behind her, and will be remembered as one of Beacon's finest for years to come. And she wasn't only passionate in her studies; she showed those same qualities in anything and everything that she ever sought to do in her life.

"She was renowned for being… difficult to approach, and it took her a while to really become close to anyone. However, she was a dear friend to those few, and did whatever she could to ensure they were happy, even if it meant pain for herself.

"We here are lucky to have met Miss Schnee, and will remember her until the end of our days. Let us not mourn her passing, sad as it may be. Instead, let us celebrate the life she led; one such as her would rather have us smile than cry. As short a life as she may have led, she lived more in her brief span of years than many do in a full century. So let us remember the good times, the cheer, the smiles, and the laughter. Let's remember how we loved her, and how she loved us. Let us smile as we go about our lives, knowing that she watches over us, and let her continue to inspire us in all of our endeavours."

Ozpin ended his speech and silence took its place. Blake felt a tear run down her cheek and wiped it away. The motion of wiping her cheek swung her head to the side, and she caught sight of Ruby. The young Huntress was sitting against the wall, looking up at the ceiling above them. Both of her hands were grasping Blake and Yang's; she had nothing to wipe away her own tears. It looked like twin rivers carving their way down her face, so heavy was the flow of her tears. With a smile, Blake reached over with her free hand and wiped away the tears on Ruby's left cheek. Yang noticed and did the same on the right. Ruby smiled her thanks at the pair of them, and looked back up as more tears began to flow.

Blake leant in and rested her head on Ruby's shoulder. The young Huntress tilted her head to the side and rested it on top of Blake's. They sat like this for a few seconds, saying nothing.

"We love you, Ruby," Blake said, breaking the silence that had hung since Ozpin's speech had ended.

"I love you guys," Ruby whispered in return.

They stayed like this—leaning against the wall, holding one another—until the service came to a close, and people started filing out of the amphitheatre.

* * *

Weiss was buried near the top of a hill in Beacon's own cemetery. Situated near the school, the cemetery was reserved solely for Huntsmen and Huntresses. It was on the same level of elevation as Beacon, and all the gravestones faced towards the city; all the Huntsmen and Huntresses continued their vigil—standing watch over Vale—even in death.

Blake, Ruby and Yang watched from a distance; they didn't want to run the risk of Ruby breaking down again in the middle of the crowd, though Ruby managed to hold it together. She cried through the whole thing, but no more than Blake did. She held Yang' hand the entire time, and Blake could tell that the contact between the two was the only thing keeping her together.

As the sun was setting, they dropped Ruby back at her apartment. They'd asked her if she'd wanted to come along with them to the reading of Weiss' will. The solicitor from Atlas had flown in that morning; Weiss had left some of her belongings to her friends in Vale. But Ruby had said she wanted to go home and rest. Wanting to give her space, Blake and Yang agreed, but had said they would return after the reading. They didn't want to leave Ruby alone for too long.

It was over quickly; none of them wanted to dwell on it for long. Yang, Blake, Neptune, and three quarters of Team JNPR—Ren was still nowhere to be seen—sat around a long table with the solicitor as he read out Weiss' last will and testament. Each of them received something that Weiss had deemed important to their relationship with her.

Blake received a portion of Weiss' small book collection, and a stipulation that she read all the ones Weiss hadn't gotten around to finishing.

Pyrrha received a gilded photo frame that held a photo of her and Weiss at their graduation, where the two of them had been top of the class.

Nora got two hundred lien, with the stipulation that she spend it in bandages and first-aid gear. Weiss had taken to carrying around a small first-aid kit whenever she'd been on a mission with Nora; Nora had been prone to hurting herself in her exuberance. Nora laughed at the joke, but Blake saw a tear drop onto the table as the solicitor moved on to the next item.

Jaune received the acoustic guitar Weiss had 'confiscated' from him in their second year. Something about it had always annoyed her, and she left him a short note telling him to learn to play it properly before he try serenading anyone.

Neptune got Weiss' car. He'd always liked it, the will read, so it would be best off going to someone who'll take care of it. The Huntsman scoffed and muttered a joking complaint about how he'd have to ship it to Mistral, but he also had tears in his eyes.

Yang received a small, stuffed Ursa that she and Weiss had competed for during a past Vytal Festival. Weiss had win the game of skill by the slimmest of margins and Yang's competitive side had set the pair at odds for the next few days. Yang laughed when she received the bear, and smiled sadly as she cradled it in her hands.

For Ruby—though she wasn't present—there was a small, silver pendant in the shape of her rose-shaped emblem, and a letter. Yang accepted them as Ruby's sister, promising to deliver them as soon as possible.

The whole meeting took a little under an hour, and they left as soon as it was over. Yang and Blake drove with Neptune to a landing pad where an airship waited for him.

"Sorry, guys," he said as he got out of the car. "I'd love to stay for a few days, but I… I want to get back to work. There's still this whole thing that Weiss and I were investigating, and someone needs to do something about it. I might not be able to do much now… without her… but at least I'll be doing something to take my mind off things."

"Don't worry about it," Yang replied with a reassuring smile. "We get it. You do what you've gotta do."

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "I'll come by again soon. I haven't seen you guys in ages, and I'd rather not count this as a visit."

"We look forward to it," Blake said.

They stayed, waving goodbye, until the airship lifted off, then headed back to Ruby's apartment. There was a spare bed in Ruby's guest room for Blake and Yang—a remnant of the days when the four of them had spent many a night with each other—and they were planning on spending the next few days with Ruby, making sure she was okay.

Ruby was sitting on the lounge again when they arrived. A half-empty box of tissues sat on the coffee table, and she was gazing out a nearby window, watching the sun set. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her nose was turning red from all the tissues she'd used.

She gave them a small smile as they walked in the door. "Hey." Her voice was a croak; she's clearly been crying her heart out the entire time they were gone.

Yang didn't reply, just crossed the room and wrapped Ruby in a hug. Ruby smiled over Yang's shoulder and hugged her back. Blake was glad to see that Ruby was holding it together. There was nothing wrong with taking the time to mourn—if there was one thing the faunus had learnt in her past, it was that—but it was also important to not let that grief take control of you. Take moment of sadness here and there, but do your best to move on as well; even if it's just a façade, and inside you're dying, it's still an effort.

Blake peeled Yang off Ruby and fished the letter out of Yang's coat pocket. She placed it—and the pendant—in Ruby's lap and pulled Yang into the kitchen, where they began preparing dinner.

"Give her time to read it alone," she whispered in Yang's ear. "We'll be here if anything happens. But she needs to deal with this on her own now and again, or she'll never fully recover."

Yang nodded, though the worry was clearly painted across her face. They forced themselves away, leaving Ruby alone.

* * *

Unsure, confused, and a little scared. That was all Ruby felt as she looked down at the letter. She's stopped her crazed sobbing minutes ago, barely managing to control herself in front of Blake and Yang, and she knew that this was likely to break the levies once again.

Taking a deep breath, she broke the wax seal. A jab of pain ran through her chest as she split the Schnee crest in half, and the trepidation that replaced it as she opened the envelope was even worse.

With another shuddering breath, Ruby slid the paper out and unfolded it. The sight of Weiss clear, neat, delicate handwriting brought new tears to her eyes, but she blinked them away. _No use crying now,_ she scolded herself. _How am I supposed to read it?_

A moment later, she composed herself and began to read:

_My Dearest Ruby,_

_I have to admit to you that I don't really know why I'm writing this. I guess I just need to set this on paper—have it recorded somewhere—so that I can function. If I can write these words down, then maybe they'll get out of my head._

_ I'll leave this to you so that, if I should die, you'll know everything. And if, by some miracle, things get better between us, then I guess there's really no need for this letter after all. So if you're reading this, then I guess I went and died._

Ruby wiped away tears. That was so like Weiss: no euphemisms, no softening the blow; she just said what needed to be said.

_I'm writing this at my desk, in my bedroom, in Atlas. I arrived here a few days ago, after having left Vale. I don't know how long it's been for you since then; long enough to get over me I hope. If not, then I can only apologise. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately… I guess there's no harm in continuing now._

_I hurt you. I know that to be true. I've hurt you more in the last few days than I've ever hurt anyone else in my life, and for that I am truly sorry. If I die before reconciling with you, and you read this, then just know that hurting you is the biggest regret of my life. _

_I know there's no excuse for my actions—none that will satisfy—but I keep telling myself that I did what I did with the best of intentions. My time with you was the best thing in my life; you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I would never want to put a stop to what we had unless it was for the best, or what I thought was the best. I'm not so sure anymore._

_I wanted you to be strong. That was what I told myself. I saw how you clung to me—how you depended on me so much—and I couldn't stand it. You were our leader. You were supposed to be in command, in control. I knew you could be; everyone who knows you knows the greatness you're capable of. And I couldn't stand the thought that you were getting so dependent on me that you might not be able to achieve all your potential promised. It sounds stupid now that I'm writing it—it sounds so selfish—but that's honestly how I felt at the time. There was nothing you could have done to change my mind—though I know how hard you tried—because I was stuck in this emotional pit of second-guessing everything, and it only ever got worse._

_I won't ask you to forgive me my mistakes; I know how much I hurt you, and I won't be selfish enough to ask you for forgiveness. My selfishness was what caused this; I won't let it hurt you again. _

_Though, who knows, maybe it's been so long for you that you've already moved on. Maybe you've forgotten me, and this letter will mean nothing to you. Maybe it will only hurt you all the more… If that's the case, then I apologise. I guess I'll have break my promise already: I'll have to ask you to indulge my selfishness, just this once._

Ruby touched the paper below this paragraph. There was a large blank space on the page, where the paper was stained dark. _Tears,_ she realised.

_I love you, Ruby. There. I said it. I know it may not seem like it to you, or it may not matter to you, but I swear on the lives of those we protect that it's the truth. I have no other words to describe how I feel other than, 'I love you', but even those fall short. You were like a storm, a swirling flurry of rose petals. You brought me such joy, such happiness; happiness that I never thought I'd achieve. And for that, I repayed you only with pain. _

_So take this letter as an apology, or a declaration of love, or whatever you wish. Let these be my last words, if I should die: I love you, Ruby Rose. No matter how much you may hate me now. No matter how far apart we are, or how long it's been since we've last seen one another. With you, I received more love than any Huntress—any woman—can imagine. You are the most loving, caring, kind, amazing individual I have ever had the pleasure to meet._

_And though this may fall on deaf ears, should—by some miracle—you hold any remaining affection for me, and my death is a loss to you, then I beg you to move on. After all the suffering I've caused you in life, I could not rest knowing that I caused you more in death. _

_Who am I kidding? There's no way you'd still feel the same way for me after what I did._

_In any case, I wish you all the best in life, Ruby. If any gods look down on us from on high, I offer them my prayers that you may live a life of joy. I hope that you find love. I hope you find happiness. I hope that you forget me, in time._

_Live the life we both strove for, Ruby. Protect the people of Vale; be the greatest Huntress you can be. But most of all, if I can have a single wish, be happy._

_Give my best to Yang and Blake. Tell them I love them both as well. The three of you are all in my thoughts; though it's only been a week since I left, I miss you all already._

_I love you, Ruby._

_A thousand times: I love you._

_Yours in this world, and whichever should follow,_

_Weiss Schnee_

Ruby looked down at the letter, frozen. Tear brimmed along the bottom of her eyes, but didn't spill. It wasn't until she blinked—almost a minute later—that they finally overflowed and ran down her cheeks. She looked down at the pendant she'd given Weiss years ago—the one that Weiss had kept all this time—and couldn't stop a sob from escaping her.

She dropped the letter onto the table, curled her hands into fists—the nails digging into her palms—and pressed them against the table as hard as she could. Tears dropped off her cheeks and onto the table.

"You… idiot," she whispered. "You idiot." _Of course I forgive you. Of course!_

Ruby slammed a fist into the table, then sat up and took a deep, shuddering breath. She looked over the letter once more, and then looked back out at the setting sun.

The majority of Ruby cried out in pain—in agony—at the sudden burst of loss and regret she felt. Weiss had loved her, and they'd let themselves stay apart. If only she'd been brave enough to try and make contact, then none of this would ever have happened.

But a part of her—a small, fragile part—smiled. Weiss loved her—died loving her—and wished for her to be happy. This part of Ruby was doing all it could to honour that wish. And it was that part that Ruby let out; a small, sad smile pulled at her lips as she touched the letter once again, as if reminding herself it was there.

The sadness was overwhelming; the pain was almost unbearable. But Ruby clung to that small part of her that smiled. She looked down at the letter and read the words again.

_But most of all, if I can have a single wish, be happy._

Ruby's smile spread—just a little, but enough to show her teeth—and she whispered her own promise to Weiss.

"I'll do my best."


	18. Cleansing Light

As had become the norm over the last few days, the first thing Ruby felt after waking up was crushing sadness. It took a few seconds to remember why, and then it only got worse. She sat up, wrapping the blankets around her, and leant back against the bed head. Something swung free as she sat up, and made a _ting_ as it fell back to her chest. Ruby reached down and pulled up her pendant. For a moment she was surprised to see the rose alongside the snowflake, but then she remembered her resolution from the day before.

_Be happy._

Somehow that made her feel a little better.

Her scroll was sitting on the bedside table; Ruby reached over and tapped a button. The curtains in the room drew back and allowed the light of the morning sun to shine into the room. The warmth of the sunlight washed over Ruby like a gentle caress. Throwing the blankets back, she got out of bed wearing a not-entirely-fake smile.

Yang was sitting at the table, munching on cereal and reading something on her scroll. Blake was leaving the kitchen, holding a plate of toast with what Ruby guessed was tuna on it. They both looked up when Ruby walked in. At first they seemed surprised when she gave them a pleasant, "Good morning!", but they quickly recovered and replied with broad smiles.

Blake set her plate on the table, but didn't sit down. "Do you want me to make you anything?" she asked.

Ruby shook her head. "That's okay." She walked into the kitchen, pulled out a bowl, cereal and milk and made a quick breakfast. She joined Blake and Yang at the table and the three of them began the day with a pleasant chat. Halfway through, Blake got up to brew coffee for Yang and Ruby, and tea for herself. Something about the warm coffee in her stomach soothed Ruby further.

"So what are you guys doing today?" Ruby asked after they lapsed into silence.

Blake and Yang looked at each other before Blake answered. "We uh… We're going to get back to work. We've taken a couple of days off because of…" A cloud of sadness seemed to pass of Blake's face. "Anyway," she continued, giving Ruby another smile. "We need to get back to it."

"What're you guys working on?" She'd heard that they were working on _something_ important, but no one had—until now—had the chance to tell her about it.

"Well, it's uh…" Blake grasped for words, unsure of where to begin. Thankfully, Yang stepped in.

"You know the Dust shortages we've been having?" the blonde Huntress asked.

Ruby nodded.

"Well, we think that someone's stealing the Dust on its way into Vale. And we think they might be sneaking it in after that, to avoid suspicion."

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. "Saves them from stealing it once it's in Vale and risk it being noticed…"

"Exactly."

Ruby looked up and met their gazes. "This sounds very similar to what was happening in Mistral."

Another shared glance between the couple.

"Yeah," Blake said. "We think so too."

"So do you think it might be the same people behind it?"

Blake shrugged, nonchalant. "It's a possibility. The people _here_ are dangerous though. We know they're inside the system, working within the government against us."

"And if they have that much power, it's likely they could do the same in other kingdoms," Ruby added.

Blake sighed in resignation. She knew that Ruby wasn't going to back down. Ruby smiled a little more. She'd promised Weiss that she would find the people responsible for her death, and it looked like she already had a lead.

"I want to help," Ruby said.

Yang frowned. "Are you sure, sis? You just got back. You should rest up a bit more."

"I'm fine. I can help. Let me help?"

Yang started to speak again, but Blake cut her off with a pat on the shoulder. "You can help, Ruby," the faunus said. "But you need to promise me one thing." Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Don't overwork yourself, okay?"

After a moment's hesitation, Ruby nodded. "Okay."

Blake eyed her for a moment, driving the promise home, and then nodded. "Alright. Well, once we finish up here, we can get going."

They finished their drinks in silence. The tension in the air was almost palpable. Ruby was like a coiled spring, about to burst into action at any moment. She could barely contain her eagerness to start, but she forced herself to remain as calm as possible. Blake was right. She needed to be careful. But even as she thought that, she only felt excitement.

Eventually they finished their drinks. Ruby suspected that Blake had started drinking hers slower after their conversation, but dismissed it. It didn't matter; they were leaving now. They piled into Blake's car and headed towards Beacon through the morning traffic.

It was a busy morning in Vale. The streets were crowded with other cars and at various points, the city came to a standstill. Every second that passed was like a hammer to Ruby's head. She wanted to start. The first thing she'd look for, she decided, was a link to Mistral. That was where her Huntress-mind took over and warned her. She needed to be careful. She wanted to find a link to Mistral, which would make it easier to see any evidence someone might otherwise pass over. But the problem was that she _wanted_ to find a link to Mistral, and she might see connections where there really were none. Taking a deep breath, Ruby tried to calm herself down. She wanted to find the people responsible, but getting too caught up in the chase would get her nowhere.

After almost an hour, they arrived at Beacon and climbed the steps carved into the face of the cliff Beacon was built on. It felt nice, Ruby had to admit, to be returning to Beacon, ready for work. It felt nostalgic. All that was missing was Weiss, walking at her side, and then the picture would've been complete. But Ruby knew that from now on, they'd have to settle for incomplete pictures. She smiled sadly as they reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the Beacon Academy grounds.

There were a few students still wandering the grounds, despite classes having started by now. A couple called out to Blake, who smiled and waved at them, and one approached Yang, looking somewhat nervous. Ruby and Blake stopped to wait as Yang turned to talk to the student, but Yang gestured for them to go ahead. Ruby glanced at the student—a girl she'd never seen before—then nodded and followed Blake inside

The door to Blake's office was already open when they arrived; a thick textbook was sitting on the floor, holding it open Ruby took a breath in an only partially successful attempt to calm herself, then followed Blake in. They hung their weapons up on a rack near the door as they stepped inside. Blake called out a greeting to everyone in the room. Nora was sitting in a chair on the right, gazing wistfully out the window. Jaune and Pyrrha were sitting on the lounge. Ren was nowhere to be seen.

Jaune and Pyrrha both jumped slightly as they saw Ruby and split apart. Jaune smiled his usual broad grin at Ruby and patted the cushion in between he and Pyrrha. Something about Jaune's grin pulled one onto Ruby's face. His smile had always been infectious. With nowhere else to sit in the room, it would have been rude to decline, so Ruby settled onto the lounge in between them.

Ruby offered each of them a grateful smile; Jaune returned it with a widening of his grin, but Pyrrha had already turned towards Blake. The sight of the back of Pyrrha's head wiped Ruby's smile away. The two of them hadn't been on the best terms of late; Ruby had often taken Jaune out with her on missions when she was still in her spiral of self-destruction, and it had caused no small amount of friction between Jaune and Pyrrha. Jaune was never one to get mad at Pyrrha though, and Pyrrha knew that, so rather than getting angry at him, Pyrrha had turned her frustrations and anger on Ruby. Needless to say, it had made life hard for Jaune.

Seeing it now drove home how selfish Ruby had been over the last year, and strengthened her determination to be stronger now. There was no good reason for her to hurt her friends like that; it didn't matter how miserable she was. And after all the grief she'd given them up until now, she needed to find a way to thank them for all they did, and apologise for all she'd put them through.

Ruby squared her shoulders as she looked away from Pyrrha and shot Jaune another smile. As she looked away from him, she saw a look of relief pass over his face out of the corner of her eye. So Jaune had been worried too. _I'll be fine_, she told herself. _I'll prove it to them._

As she looked around the room, Ruby remembered that Ren wasn't there. Nora seemed more reserved than usual as well, which was a little unnerving. Ruby had never seen anything break through Nora's usual hyperactive good cheer; it was hard to imagine what had finally managed it.

"Hey…" Ruby said, still wondering if asking was a good idea. "Where's Ren?"

Nora shot her a look and shrugged before looking back out the window. That worried Ruby even more.

"He's been gone for a few days now," Blake answered. "He said he was going to talk to his 'contacts' and do some private searching for us."

"'Contacts'?"

Blake shook her head with a rueful smile. "Yeah, we don't know either. Who knows what Ren gets up to when he vanishes?" Ruby glanced briefly at Nora, but Blake shook her head. "Whoever he's talking to, he kept that card close to his chest. He's okay though; he sends Nora a message whenever he gets a chance, just letting her know he's alright."

"Right…" Ruby trailed off. Ren had always been someone who appreciated his space. He was nice enough when he was around, but that wasn't exactly a regular occurrence. But being gone for this long? And what 'contacts' did he have that would give them information on Dust thefts? Ruby frowned and glanced once again at Nora.

Yang chose this moment to enter the office, giving everyone in the room a bright greeting. Ruby smiled up at her older sister, then raised an eyebrow as Yang glanced around the room as if searching for someone.

"Where's Raud?" Yang asked, glancing at Blake and Jaune in turn.

Ruby frowned. Who the hell was Raud? Jaune caught the look and nudged her in the side, catching her attention.

"New guy," he said quietly into her ear. "He tipped us off, got us started, and has been helping out."

Ruby began to ask another question, but Pyrrha answered Yang, cutting her off.

"Probably with Kelly, as usual," the red-haired Huntress said. "Those two are inseparable now."

Jaune chuckled while Yang rolled her eyes. "Give me a sec," Yang muttered as she turned and left the room. She crossed the corridor and rapped sharply on the door across from them. There was a sound of clattering wood—like a chair knocked to the ground—and a moment of silence before the door opened, revealing Kelly. The woman looked flustered; strands of her hair were out of place, and her face was red. She looked up at Yang, pretending nothing was amiss.

Yang greeted her with a broad grin and stood up on her toes to peek over Kelly's head into the room. "Send Raud in once he's dressed again."

A look of shock flashed across Kelly's face, but she recovered in an instant. With an unsmiling nod, she closed the door and Yang re-entered Blake's office.

Ruby looked at her sister with a mixture of amusement and confusion. In all the time she'd known Kelly, the assistant had never shown any inclinations towards relationships. Whenever Yang had pointed out an attractive man or woman in Kelly's company, her usual reaction was a disdainful scoff. It was hard to imagine her falling for a man she'd met not even two weeks ago.

"Alright," Blake said, clapping her hands. "We might as well get started. Raud can catch up when he gets here."

Pyrrha, Jaune and Yang were focussed in an instant; all eyes were on Blake. It took Nora a few seconds longer to turn around; something outside seemed to have caught her attention.

"It's been a couple of days since we made any real progress," Blake began. "So we really need to get somewhere today. We need to find this Dust, and we need to find it soon."

Ruby raised a hand. "Question."

Blake smirked. "Yes. Ruby."

"'Find the Dust'? How are we meant to do that? Do we have any idea where it is?"

Blake shared a look with Pyrrha and sighed. "I guess we'd better fill you in," she muttered. "Get you up to speed… Okay! Long version. Raud came to me last week and told me that Dust was being smuggled out of Vacuo. He had been sent here to warn us, in case something similar was happening here. At first, we weren't sure, so we just started checking the city's Dust stores, which have been much lower than usual for the last few months.

"Right before this, Pyrrha and Jaune were on a mission in a mining village under attack by the Black Talon, and the village was mining Dust as normal. As far as we can tell, all the villages are meeting their quotas, but somewhere along the line, the Dust is going missing. As far as we know, it's not making it into the city, and it seems there are officials covering things up, making the thefts seem like shortages on the mining end.

"We know they have people in government—or in power at least—because Yang, Jaune and Pyrrha captured some possible informants, who were all killed before we could talk to them. Knowing this made the thefts seem much less unlikely; there are definitely people in positions where they could cover things up.

"Then Jaune, Nora and Pyrrha found that some of the caves outside of Vale—near the train lines—had been mined through into Vale's sewers. It looked like Dust had been used to break through into the city, and we think that's been the cause of the recent earthquakes. And… I think that's it."

Ruby nodded thoughtfully for a few seconds before replying. "So we don't know for sure that the Dust is being smuggled back into Vale?"

Blake hesitated, mouth open, then nodded reluctantly. "Y-yeah. I guess so. We're kind of operating on the assumption that it is, hoping to stop whatever might be afoot. From what it sounds like, the other kingdoms have people investigating as well; we're focussing on Vale. If they're stealing the Dust and smuggling it away, then we don't have to worry about it for now. It might be a danger down the line, but we can deal with that later. If they're smuggling it _into_ Vale, then that's a serious danger. We have no idea what they could be planning, but with that much Dust, it can't be good."

Ruby nodded thoughtfully again, and then gave Blake a firm nod of agreement. "Makes sense. 'Hope for the best; plan for the worst'. Let's find this Dust."

Blake smiled and took a breath before continuing. "Okay. So, first thing, we need to find where those tunnels come into Vale. Clearly, searching from this side alone isn't going to help, so I've been thinking that we should send a few people outside the walls, back to the cave mouths. Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha, you three found the tunnels first…"

Pyrrha nodded. "We can go back out and find them again. We'll head through the tunnels into Vale and see where they come out. It might take us a while to tramp through all of them, but it'll do."

"Alright," Blake said with a nod. "So that leaves… me, Yang, Ruby, Raud and Kelly in Vale, searching from this side…" The faunus trailed off, in thought, then looked back up at Pyrrha. "Could you take one more with you? That way we can all split into four teams of two and search. You can search two tunnels at a time, and still be safe in anything happens, and we can do the same here."

They all nodded. It was a good idea. Ruby glanced around, wondering who would volunteer to go beyond the walls. She would be happy to, of course, but she wasn't sure if Pyrrha would want her coming along…

Yang glanced briefly at Nora before stepping forward. She began to speak, but then another voice cut her off.

"I'll go out with them," a deep, gravelly, strangely familiar male voice said. "I can't leave the fuzzball alone; not if her boyfriend's still not back."

"Ah, Raud," Blake said with a rueful smile. "Nice of you to join us."

Ruby glanced towards the door and felt a lightning bolt of recognition smash through her. The hulking, shirtless man—Raud, apparently—let out a deep laugh and shrugged.

"Yeah, sorry about that. You weren't here when I got here, and Kelly was here, so I sat with her and…"

Blake raised a hand, waving it frantically. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get it. No details, please."

Raud let out another laugh and nudged the book holding the door open out of the way. He turned around the close the office door, and Ruby saw the massive, black battle-axe on his back. That sealed the deal. The Huntress got to her feet.

The man had his back to her still, and Ruby used the moment to lunge towards the weapon rack and grab Crescent Rose. The scythe sang viciously as it swung free and came to a stop, the blade a mere inch from Raud's neck.

"Ruby, what are you doing!" Blake yelled, looking frantic. Yang's eyes were wide, and she looked frozen, unsure of what to do. Everyone else leapt to their feet, but remained there, watching,

Nobody moved. The blade hovered near the man's neck, but he remained still until he ever-so-slowly turned his head toward Blake.

"'Ruby'?" he asked in a calm voice.

Blake, still looking afraid, nodded. "My sister-in-law. Yang's sister. She just… got home from a trip. Ruby… what are you _doing_?" Her voice turned into a hiss as she pleaded with Ruby.

Ruby never took her eyes off Raud's back. There was no doubt about it. "Blake… You remember the last time I came to see you before I went away?"

The faunus nodded. "Yeah… You were beat to hell…"

"What!?" Yang yelled, rounding on Blake. No one seemed to notice her outburst.

The faunus was eyeing Raud now with a measure of trepidation and suspicion. "Ruby…"

"It was _him,_" Ruby hissed.

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Ruby, are you sure? Raud's been helping us."

"I'm sure, Blake." Ruby's voice was filled with venom. Crescent Rose was beginning to tremble in her grasp as she itched to drive the blade home.

"Ruby—"

"_I'm sure!_" Ruby screamed.

The faunus took a breath. Ruby could only see Yang in her peripheral vision, but she could tell everyone was on edge. Yang had Ember Celica deployed, a fist cocked, and looked ready to commit bloody murder. A grin crept onto Ruby's face at the sight. _Got you, you bastard. _

"Raud," Blake said, her voice firm. "Explain yourself."

Taking a deep breath, the man began to explain. "I snuck into Vale illegally. I didn't want the people responsible for this knowing I was here, if at all possible. The police almost caught me, but I got away from them. Then I guess _Ruby here_ attacked me. I didn't want to risk being caught, so I fought back. I thought the mission was too important."

It made sense, Ruby had to admit that. If it was a lie, then it was a good one. But her grip on Crescent Rose didn't loosen; the blade, poised to strike, didn't waver.

"You almost _killed_ me!" she hissed.

There was silence for a moment. "That was… unintentional," Raud answered.

"_Unintentional!?_" Yang screamed, finally taking a step toward the man. "How the hell do you 'unintentionally' almost kill my little sister!? I should 'unintentionally' kill you!"

"Yang…" Blake tried to call out to her wife—to calm the blonde down—but it had no effect; Yang's hair was smouldering now, and even Ruby could feel the heat rolling off her sister.

"We all have our demons," Raud muttered. "Mine just like to come out now and again."

Ruby opened her mouth to speak—to cut off Yang's next outraged outburst—but Raud beat her to it.

"So… Ruby Rose, huh?" he asked. "Red scythe, red lock of hair, a general red tone to the clothing. I have to say: you match your description almost to the letter."

"M-my… description?"

Raud sighed and flexed his shoulders. Muscles rippled in his back as he straightened up, standing at his full height. Even with his back to her, it felt like he was towering over her menacingly.

"That's right…" Raud said, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. His voice was cold, emotionless. He let out another sigh. "I guess I don't really have a choice anymore; I doubt any of you will really trust me after this."

"Raud…" Jaune stepped forward, an appeasing smile on his face. "Just relax, man. We'll still trust you. You've just got to explain this all to us. What's going on?"

Raud shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Yang's not going to let this go. Blake will stand by Yang. And Ruby's… well… I almost killed her. Why would she _ever_ trust me?" He rolled his shoulders and swung his neck in a circle, narrowly avoiding Crescent Rose's blade. "Stand back, knucklehead. I like you. I don't want you involved."

"What the hell is going on!?" Ruby yelled, fighting the urge to swing Crescent Rose back and end the whole incident right then and there.

"Your… description," Raud muttered. "My employers gave it to me. I was sent here with three objectives: warn you about the danger, so you'd trust me; find out as much as I could about all of you; and—if the opportunity arose—kill Ruby Rose."

Silence followed his declaration; none of them really knew how to respond. Ruby winced at the word "kill", and almost yanked her scythe back on instinct. But she held herself back. He was at her mercy, and if they caught him, he might be able to provide information.

"You bastard," Yang hissed. "I'll _kill you_!" The blonde lunged towards Raud, ignoring the cries from Blake, Jaune, and Pyrrha.

Before Ruby could react, Raud stepped back and slammed into her. The wall stopped her dead and she was crushed in between the solid stone wall and the hulking mercenary. As he stepped away, one of his hands brushed against Ruby's arm, while the other reached up to the haft of his battle-axe and yanked it over his shoulder. He swung it down, pushing Crescent Rose away, and then toward Yang's oncoming attack. Yang crossed her arms and blocked the blow on the armoured backs of Ember Celica, but she was knocked back a few paces.

Before anyone could react, Raud turned and swung his axe towards Ruby. With an awkward swing, she managed to get the haft of Crescent Rose in the way and deflected the axe into the wall. Sparks flew as the metal grated on stone and the axe skittered off the hard surface, throwing Raud off balance. With no room to swing her weapon, Ruby jumped and slammed both of her feet into his chest. He stumbled back and Ruby gasped in pain, as if a sledgehammer had caved in her ribs.

Yang lunged and threw a punch, which Raud deflected before throwing his own quick jab. Yang easily side-stepped the blow and swung another fist, which landed solidly on his jaw and slammed him into the window.

Ruby gasped in agony as wrecking ball crashed into her face.

The glass shattered behind Raud, and he tumbled out into the courtyard below. He landed on both feet and glared up at the window, as if daring them to come down.

Yang threw herself out to meet him. Blake turned to Jaune and Pyrrha and told them to find other faculty members, as well as the school's security. It was important to catch him alive. Ruby was the next one out the window. A flash of agony tore through her side as she fell, and, unable re-orient herself in time, she crashed to the flagstones with a pained grunt.

Yang and Raud were a few metres away, sending up sparks with every blow exchanged. They were evenly matched enough that neither of them ever hit a solid blow on each other's bodies; only the merest of glancing scrapes. The glancing blows that Yang landed didn't faze Raud at all; he didn't even react at all. The sudden bursts of pain that lanced through Ruby—perfectly time with each of Yang's strikes on him—jogged another memory of their first encounter. She glanced at her arm, where he's touched her, and saw a strangely patterned, black mark. Another burst of pain prevented her from examining the mark further, and by the time her vision cleared, she realised it didn't matter.

"Yang!" she called out. "Stop!"

Yang shot her a glare for a fraction of a second, and Raud gave her a blood-thirsty grin and jumped back a few steps. "So you figured it out, huh?" he said as he heaved his axe up onto his shoulder.

"Figured out what?" Yang asked.

"His semblance," Ruby said bitterly. She raised her arm to show Yang the mark. "This is from him. Now every time you hit him, it hurts me instead."

Yang went pale. She looked down at her hands, as if counting the times she'd hit him, and blaming them for each blow. After a few seconds, she clenched her fists and shot him a glare.

"So how the hell are we supposed to beat him?" the blonde asked.

"You can't," the mercenary answered. "Not without hurting Ruby."

"Dammit," Yang growled.

Raud attacked then, while they were off-guard, trying to think things through. He obviously didn't want to give them the chance. The axe sang as the blade cut through the air, and Yang only just managed to knock it aside before it slammed into her chest. Ruby swung her scythe back and prepared to attack, but a hand came down on her shoulder. She looked around at saw Blake next to her, frowning.

"I heard," the faunus said.

The pair locked eyes for a moment, and in them, they saw a sense of hopelessness. Ruby knew she wouldn't be able to defeat Raud; she'd knock herself out from the pain before she wore him down. Yang and Blake couldn't defeat him; Ruby knew that neither of them would try to hurt him if it meant hurting Ruby. He had all the advantages.

Raud's attack of relentless. He pushed Yang back, across the courtyard, sparks flying with every blow. The blonde was entirely on the defensive; all she did was block his strikes. There were so many openings he was leaving open, safe in the knowledge that Yang wouldn't take advantage of them, and—sure enough—Yang made no move to counter-attack.

"Stop now, Yang," Raud said as he attacked. Ruby and Blake could only just hear him over the sound of their weapons clashing. "I'm only after Ruby."

"_Why!?_" Yang hissed as she blocked a strike aimed at her knee. "We _trusted_ you!"

Raud stepped back, breathing deep, and nodded. "I know. And I like you guys, really—"

"Then why are you doing this!?"

He sighed, and Ruby saw his grip tighten on his axe. "I'm a mercenary, Yang. There's no such thing as a merc with a conscience. I learned that lesson long ago. If we gave up as soon as our employer asked us to do something we don't like, we'd never get paid." He brought the axe back, ready to strike. "So while I may not like it, it's my job. And you're not part of that. So get out of the way _now_, and I won't kill you as well."

"Like hell." Yang raised her fists again, ready to defend. "No one hurts my baby sister."

Ruby turned to Blake, unsure of what to do. Blake would know; Blake always knew. But the look on the faunus' face was all it took to tell Ruby how false that idea was. Blake was just as clueless as the rest of them.

"Miss Belladonna…" a voice said. They both turned towards the voice and saw Kelly standing nearby, a shocked look on her face. Ruby almost opened her mouth to scold the woman—_where the hell have you been all this time?—_but the clash of steel drew her attention back to the battle. Yang was blocking every strike Raud sent her way, looking more determined than ever.

"Oh gods… Kelly…" Blake muttered. "Kelly, go back inside. You don't have to be here."

"What's happening?" Her voice sounded uncertain, confused.

"Raud betrayed us, Kelly. I know you liked him, but we can't let him go. You don't have to be here for this; go back inside."

"He… I see." Steel entered Kelly's voice. "I understand. Let me help."

"K-Kelly? Are you sure?"

"He betrayed us," Kelly declared. "I owe him nothing."

Raud managed to slip a strike around Yang's guard and knocked the Huntress flying. She cried out as she hit the ground and Ruby dashed in without a second thought. Blake called her name, but Ruby was already swing Crescent Rose at Raud. The mercenary blocked it instinctively, and then gave Ruby a rueful grin when he saw it was her.

"I didn't want to do this," he said. "Don't take it personally."

"You haven't killed me yet." Ruby took a step back and fired off to the side. The recoil sent her spinning in a whirlwind of rose petals towards Raud. He made no move to block it, and the blade sliced along the back of his shoulders, setting Ruby's own back ablaze with pain. Someone called out her name as she staggered away, but Ruby paid it no heed.

Raud stepped after her and swung his axe at her leg. The spike at the end of her scythe's handle caught the blade, which slid down the spike to the ground. Ruby swung a kick at his wrists, hoping to loosen his grip on the axe, but only succeeding in loosening her grip on her own weapon as pain lanced up her arms. Raud slammed a kick into her hip as she winced and she too was knocked to the ground with a cry.

Something crashed above her head; a shower of sparks fell down around her. Ruby looked up to see Yang standing over her, with Raud's axe caught in between her crossed gauntlets.

"Just knock him over?" Yang shouted. Ruby furrowed her brow—_knock him over? What?_—but a jolt of pain stopped her from worrying about it for much longer. Yang had slammed a foot into Raud's knee, and delivered an unexpected crushing blow to his face.

Raud was knocked to the ground, and Yang immediately turned away from him. The blonde crouched down at Ruby's side.

"You okay, sis?"

Ruby dragged herself up. "Raud…" She reached her feet just in time to see Kelly leapt onto the mercenary. He struggled, but Kelly held both of his arms like a vice. The woman with the green lock of hair closed her eyes and took a breath. The mercenary continued to struggle to no avail.

A faint, white light appeared around the two, and rapidly grew more defined. A bright, shining, pure white sphere appeared around them, blocking them from view. A high-pitched whistle filled the air, almost too high-pitched to make out, and the sharp smell of ozone filled their noses. The light burst in a bright, blinding flash, forcing Ruby and Yang to cover their eyes, and once the light faded, Kelly and Raud were gone.

"Uh… what?" Ruby stared at the spot where they'd been only seconds before, incapable of any other words.

"Sorry," Yang said. "Blake gave me a bit of warning. Turns out Kelly's semblance is… well… that. They figured that the only way we could get rid of him without hurting you."

"But…" Ruby trailed off. _Can't he just hurt himself to hurt me, wherever they went_, was what she'd been _about_ to say. But she checked her arm, and the mark was gone. _Only a certain range, maybe? _She pondered. Then she shook her head. It didn't matter.

They approached the spot where they'd left and examined the mark left behind. A perfectly circular chunk of the pavement—about three inches deep—had been seamlessly carved out of the ground. Ruby thought back and remembered the sphere around the two of them flattening out against the ground. Apparently not.

"That could be a dangerous semblance," Yang muttered.

"No kidding…" Images of people half-inside flashed through Ruby's mind, sliced cleanly in half.

There was another flash of light a few metres away and—once it dispersed—Kelly had reappeared, on all fours and panting heavily. Yang, Blake, and Ruby descended on her like vultures, plaguing her with questions rather than sharp beaks.

"Are you okay?"

"What was that?"

"How did you do that?"

"Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

"Where is he?"

"What happened to Raud?"

Kelly waved off their questions and spun herself around into a sitting position. She hung her head back and sucked in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then blew it out. The three Huntresses gave her a moment to herself, though they were all eager to question her more. After a minute or two, Kelly opened her eyes.

"He's dead."

The three blinked in surprise; Blake even took half a step back in shock.

"W-what?" Blake asked. "You… you killed him?"

Kelly took another breath and nodded. "Dropped him into the Emerald Forest from about a mile up. Even if he survived the fall, the Grimm will have finished him off."

They all gaped at her, at how nonchalant she was about it. Not fifteen minutes ago, they'd had to drag Raud out of Kelly's office, and now she'd killed him with almost no qualms whatsoever. Ruby promptly changed her opinion of the woman.

It was at that moment that Pyrrha, Jaune and Nora rounded a corner and arrived with Ozpin, Goodwitch, and a group of armed Beacon security guards. They looked around for Raud and frowned in confusion when they didn't see him. Blake knelt down next to Kelly and patted her comfortingly on the shoulder before heading over to explain.

Ruby and Yang looked at each other. "Well that was a thing," the blonde said.

"No kidding…" Ruby watched Blake talking to Ozpin for a moment before glancing at Kelly again. "So what now?"

Yang put a hand on her hip and scratched her cheek. "I guess we clean this mess up, sort this out with Ozpin, and then… get back to work. Even if he was paid by the bad guys to get us investigating, we've found too much evidence that someone's up to something to stop now."

Ruby nodded and headed over to Blake and the others. As she stepped away from Yang, she heard the blonde mutter under her breath.

"So did he kill those three after all…?"


	19. Bad News

The next few days were a confusing blur of searching and failure. Raud's sudden betrayal shook them up for a while—and Blake questioned more than once whether there actually was anything to find—but they continued the search, convinced by the evidence that they'd uncovered.

Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora, and Yang had left the city, searching through the caves, leaving Ruby, Blake and Kelly to search the city. Three people searching all of Vale was a herculean task, but they did what they could. Ruby and Blake spent their days jumping into Vale's sewer system, trying to find any traces of entry, passage, or even a store of Dust. As they searched and continued to find nothing, it began to dawn on Blake how hopeless their search could really be.

Dust was missing, and the caves outside had broken through into the city. That was all they knew for certain. Even the existence of the mysterious, government-backed antagonist was thrown into doubt. They hadn't figured out how he'd have been able to do it, but if Raud had been playing them, then it was possible that he killed their prisoners as well. Possible. Possibilities seemed to be all they were going on, and it all served to reinforce the growing sense of hopelessness.

It was possible that someone had mined through the caves. It was also possible that the stolen Dust was being smuggled back into Vale. If either one of those happened to be untrue, then their entire search would lead them nowhere.

While Blake and Ruby searched the sewers, they left Kelly to search the system for any black holes in city storage logs. Blake was still uncomfortable getting her too involved, and the woman had been growing quieter ever since Raud's attack; his betrayal seemed to have rattled her more than anyone else. _I guess they really were getting close_, the faunus told herself one morning after greeting Kelly and getting no answer in return.

And so days passed with little to show for it. Ruby and Blake confined their search to the side of the city closest to the caves, but Blake knew that—if the Dust _had_ been smuggled in—it could be getting further away with every day. Kelly found nothing, which wasn't a surprise. Yang's team _did_ manage to find where a few of the caves broke into the city, but nothing more than that. They were forced the conclude that the Dust was being held elsewhere, which put them at another dead end.

The day after Yang's team returned to Vale, Blake was heading into her office early and alone. They'd stopped meeting each morning; everyone knew what their job was at this point. Besides, Yang had been tired last night, and Blake had wanted to let her sleep in. Blake was really only going in to check on Kelly, and to see if she'd received any mail.

As she walked down the corridor towards her office, she saw her office door hanging slightly ajar. She slowed her approach and glanced around, checking for anyone watching her, before sliding closer as quiet as she could. She paused at the door, and glanced at Kelly's office door. Nothing could be heard on the other side, which wasn't uncommon now, but Blake didn't want to open the door and risk tipping off whoever was in her office.

Drawing Gambol Shroud, Blake stepped closer to her office. She poked the tip of the blade into the room and twisted it around, trying to get a reflection off it to see who was inside. After a couple of seconds, she caught a glimpse of someone—a man—standing by the window. The blade didn't give enough of a clear picture to make out the interloper in any detail, but the figure seemed familiar.

Blake sucked in a deep breath and shoved the door open with a bang. As she rolled into the room, she folded her sword into its pistol form and brought it up as she straightened, the barrel trained on the man's head. A second later, she let it drop with a wry laugh and a shake of her head.

Ren was leaning against the window, arms folded, completely unphased by Blake's sudden entry. Of course he wasn't; Ren had probably felt her coming before she even entered the building.

"And a good morning to you too," Blake said as she put away her weapon.

Ren raised an eyebrow, and then broke into a smile.

Blake rolled her eyes. "So I take it you found something?"

Ren hesitated, and then nodded. "I thought you'd like to come with me to check it out."

This time Blake raised an eyebrow. "Me? Not Nora?"

He shrugged. "If this doesn't work out, I might have to go back under. No point in getting Nora excited just for me to leave again tomorrow."

_Go under, huh?_ Blake mused. "So what _have_ you been doing for the last couple of weeks?"

Ren gave her a lopsided smile and looked out the window. "Speaking to some… people. I'd rather not get into details."

"Well doesn't that sound reassuring," the faunus muttered. "Not suspicious at all."

He chuckled under his breath. "I know how it sounds. Just trust me on this."

"I do trust you, Ren. And I'm sure all your clandestine dealings have perfectly legitimate motivations, but you need to be careful; that's all I ask. I won't ask who you've been dealing with, but I don't want you getting too deep and things going awry. For Nora's sake, if not your own."

Ren gazed out the window for a while, then nodded. "Come on," he said as he turned and headed to the door. "We should get going."

Blake watched him, shook her head in exasperation, and followed him out the door, making sure to lock the door behind her. _Someday we'll have to have a chat about how he does that…_

Once they were outside, Blake asked. "So are you going to tell me what we're doing?"

The Huntsman glanced around, checking their surroundings, before replying. "I heard from… someone… that a member of the Black Talon is in the city."

"Just one?" Blake's heart was suddenly trying to crawl out of her throat. That could mean their search wasn't completely pointless.

"Just one that I heard of. Knowing them: if there's one, there's a hundred. But that doesn't matter so much right now. Apparently this Talon is planning on running. Booked a ticket out of Vale on an airship tonight, against orders too. This Talon is defecting from the group, and I know where to find him."

Blake couldn't help but break into a smile. This was better news than she could have imagined. Jaune had caught a Talon while defending the mining village a couple of weeks ago, but even he would have resisted; they would have had to make him talk. If Ren really had found a member that was getting ready to run—to leave the Talon—then they'd be willing to answer their questions. Especially if they promised safe passage in return for information.

They'd reached the bottom of the hill by this point, and stood in the carpark. Ren's car was parked a few spaces down and, seeing it now, Blake wondered how she'd missed it on the way in. They jumped in without another word. An electric excitement was running up and down Blake's body; she wanted to get moving as fast possible. They could finally have a solid lead.

Vale was only just beginning to awaken as they made their way through the streets. The traffic was light at first, but got heavier as they approached the city centre. They managed to make it through the centre of the city before the morning rush hour, and had a pleasant cruise the rest of the way; with the heavy traffic on the other side of the road. Blake's was grateful for their good luck; having to wait in traffic would probably have killed her.

Forty five minutes after leaving Beacon, Ren brought the car to a gentle stop in front of an old hotel. If Blake had to imagine a place to which a member of a secret criminal organisation would go to hide from that very same organisation… this place was almost exactly what came to mind. It was falling apart; pieces of the façade fell off as they looked up at it. There were more holes in the wall than windows, and the only thing that separated one from the other was the shards of glass that remained in each window where a pane once was.

"Charming," Blake muttered as she subconsciously wiped her hands.

"Don't let the looks fool you," Ren said, sounding faintly amused. "This place is quite the den of crime and devilry."

Blake shot him a sideways look. A joke? From Ren? _Now_ of all times? She sighed and gestured for him to lead the way. He nodded and, without another word, entered what seemed to be his favourite crime den. Blake shook her head as she followed him inside.

The floor groaned in an ominous voice as they made their way across the entrance hall. Ren strode in with all the confidence of a rooster in a chicken farm, while Blake lagged behind a little, delayed by the sudden scent that attacked her. She poked her head out the front door, sucked in a breath of marginally fresher air, and hurried after Ren.

There was an empty void where an elevator used to be, so they made their way to the stairs. They seemed like the most threatening thing that Blake had seen thus far. The timber screamed whenever they put their weight down, so much so that Blake started walking close to the wall, only putting her feet on the very end of each step.

"So where is your man staying?" she asked. She didn't want to risk too many staircases in this building.

"Third floor," Ren replied. He craned his neck to look up at the next floor as they reached the landing between the first and second floors.

"Oh good."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?"

Blake grimaced as she stretched an arm out to grasp the railing, which creaked as well. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to _shut up_?"

Ren chuckled and shook his head. "Come on. We should hurry. He'll have heard you coming by now."

"Heard _me_!?" Blake hissed. "Why you little—"

"Less cursing; more climbing. Let's go."

Blake mumbled the rest of her curse under her breath, watching Ren's back as he climbed. A part of her hoped the stair collapsed under _him_, just to put him in his place. The other part of her was too busy wondering when the floor was going to collapse under her to worry about Ren's teasing.

They reached the third floor without dying—a minor miracle in Blake's mind—and headed down the corridor. Ren came to a stop in front of what used to be a door, and was now a plank of rotten wood propped up in a door frame. He reached up and knocked lightly on the 'door', which sent it toppling back to shatter on the floor of the room beyond.

Ren poked his head in the door and called out. "Have you got a moment to talk about the grace of—"

"_Who the hell's there!?_" an angry voice cried out, cutting off Ren's joke. Thankfully.

A man came into the short hallway that led from the door to the bedroom, holding a shotgun. He held the stock against his shoulder and aimed down the sight, the barrel trained on Ren's chest. The Huntsman smiled—he had always been good in a crisis—and raised his hands.

"Relax, Menda. We're just here to talk."

The man twitched and glanced at Blake before replying. "Here to talk, huh? Talk about what? Who are you people?"

Ren dropped his hands to his sides. "I'll get to the point, then. We know who you are, Menda. We know who you work for. And we know that you're trying to run away from them."

Menda swallowed nervously and took a step back. "Your Huntsmen, aren't you?"

Ren nodded.

"Damn it… How the hell'd you find me?"

"Doesn't matter how," Ren said calmly. "All that matters is we did. Now, we can guarantee you safe passage out of the kingdom _if_—and only if—you answer our questions."

Menda hesitated, shotgun still raised. He licked his lips and glanced around as if searching for an escape.

"There's nowhere to run," Ren said. "Just answer our questions, and you can be on your way. Immediately. No waiting until tonight."

Menda gave up, lowered the gun to his side and waved for them to enter.

Ren looked at Blake and shot her a smile before stepping inside. Blake took her hand off Gambol Shroud's hilt, shook her head, and followed him in.

When they entered the room, the shotgun was lying on a dresser that was pressed against the right wall, and Menda was sitting on the end of the bed next to it—tucked in the far right corner—with his head in his hands.

"Damn it…" he mumbled. "…knew it wouldn't be this easy… -ing screwed…"

"Menda!" Ren snapped the man's name. He looked up, his face a mask of hopelessness, and sighed.

"Alright. Alright!" He lowered his head again. "What do you want to know?"

Ren shot a glance at Blake before replying. "Everything you know about the Talon."

Menda flinched at the mention of the Black Talon, but otherwise held his composure. "You'll need to be more specific than—"

Blake—feeling more herself now that she didn't feel like she was about to die—took a menacing step forward. "Tell us everything you know about their operations in Vale. Someone's up to something. Is the Talon involved? Are they behind it? Are they working for the one in charge? Hell, while we're at it, what _is_ the Talon? What are they after? The White Fang at least advocated equality; what does the Black Talon want?"

Menda took Blake's onslaught in silence. Once she finished, and took a moment to catch her breath, he spoke quietly. "You really have no idea, do you?"

"No idea about what?" Ren asked.

Menda shook his head. "They told us that the Huntsmen would find us out eventually, but I didn't think it'd take you _this_ long."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

He chuckled. "You 'promise me safe passage'… What a joke. You're all gonna die."

Ren and Blake looked at each other. The man might be rambling, but it still didn't sound good.

Blake drew her sword and stepped forward, holding the point at his chin. "Either you start speaking sense now, Menda, or _you'll _die _here_."

The man looked up, meeting her eyes. He regarded her silently for a moment, then sighed. "Fine… What's the harm? I'm a dead man either way." He let out a small chuckle before his face turned serious. "The Talon is going to attack Vale. Big scale attack. _Huge_. The kingdom _will_ fall."

Blake gaped at him. He actually looked serious; as if it was actually possible.

"W-what?" she stammered. "When?"

Menda gave her a wry grin. "Fear… That's good. You'll need that…" He looked out the window. "What's the date?"

Ren checked his scroll. "The fourteenth."

Menda sighed and closed his eyes. "Today."

Blake's knees trembled. It couldn't be true. There was no way the Talon would be able to bring down Vale. But he seemed to sure. And even if they didn't… any attempt would be a _massive_ attack. Everyone was in danger.

Menda sighed again. "The attack will begin today. Can't say when exactly, but, if I were you, I'd get going."

Blake took a step back, about to run back to the car, but seeing Ren standing still stopped her.

The Huntsman stared at Menda, face emotionless. "Why should we believe you?"

The man looked up at him, a faint sneer on his face. "Believe me or not, the attack is coming."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Then we need more than that. What do you know about the details of the attack?"

A flash of sadness crossed Menda's face before he replied. "Fine," he sighed. "Have you got a map of Vale?"

Ren pulled out his scroll and opened it. He tapped a few buttons and a holo-map of Vale appeared in the air above the scroll. "Where?"

Menda tapped the map, leaving an orange mark on a building. "We're here." He made another mark, in the middle of the residential district. "If you go into the sewers here, and head towards the north, you'll find a store of Dust bombs."

Blake flinched. So the Dust _was_ being smuggled into the city. And no wonder they'd not found any of it. The store—if it really was where Menda said—was almost on the other side of the city from where they'd been concentrating their search. Oddly, she noticed, it was around the corner from Jaune and Pyrrha's house. _Well that's a nice turn of luck._

"Those bombs are going to be used to take out certain buildings here, here, and here." He marked out various buildings around the city, near the cache. "And once those buildings are taken care of, they'll begin the attack. Troops are stationed around here—I don't know the exact buildings—and will attack here, and here." He marked two locations: the parliament building, where Vale's council governed the kingdom; and Beacon, where Vale's best defence would come from.

He sat back, looking up at them. "That's all I know. Are we done here?"

Ren eyed him. "There's still no proof that this will actually happen."

Menda raised an eyebrow. "You come to me, asking for information, and then don't believe a word I say? You know what? Screw you, buddy. Once the attack starts, and Vale falls, you'll know that it's your fault for not believing me."

Ren gazed at him in complete silence for almost a minute. Right before Blake was about to step closer, to pull Ren outside, Menda cracked.

"Just send someone in to find the bombs!" he yelled. "The attack won't start until later today, when those bombs go off. Send someone in now—before they're moved—find the cache, and there's your proof."

Ren looked at him a moment longer, then nodded. He turned away and faced Blake. "Let's go."

Blake followed him out, pulling out her scroll. "I'll call the others," she said as they started down the stairs. She was too preoccupied now that she didn't even notice the frantic creaking as they hurried back to the car.

She dialled Yang's number as fast as her fingers could move. The blonde answered on the second ring.

"Heeelloooo!" she cried in a happy voice. "How're you today, sexy?" Blake could just about hear Yang winking at her.

"Yang, I need you to take Ruby and head into Beacon," Blake said. There was no time for messing around.

"What's wrong?" Concern filled Yang's voice now.

"Ren came to see me today… We talked to a defecting member of the Talon; they're going to attack Vale today. I need you and Ruby to go in and let Ozpin and everyone know about the possibility of an attack."

"A defecting… Can we trust him?"

"Doesn't matter. We need to check it out anyway. Just head in, let them know everything we know—and what we've found out today—and get the city ready."

"But… Ruby's not here."

Blake froze for a moment, but gathered herself quickly and continued out the door of the building. "Where is she?"

"She went to Jaune's… She said there was something she needed to talk to Jaune and Pyrrha about."

Blake looked up, squinting against the sunlight, and saw Ren standing at the car, scroll pressed to his ear.

"Damn it," she muttered. "Why today… Okay, that's fine. You just head in and let them know. I'll call Ruby."

"Okay…"

Ren put his scroll away and stepped over to Blake, taking the scroll from her. "Yang. Ren here. Nora's on her way too. She'll meet you at the bottom of the hill in ten minutes. Hurry." He ended the call, passed the scroll back to Blake, and got in the car.

Blake jumped in the passenger seat and dialled Ruby's number. "Ruby's at Jaune's," she said to Ren as she pressed the scroll to her ear.

He nodded and put his foot down, sending the car shooting down the street. "Good. Get Jaune and Pyrrha to investigate the cache. They live around the corner."

"And Ruby?" she asked she waited for the Huntress in question to answer.

Ren didn't speak for a moment. "Let her choose. She can go with Jaune and Pyrrha, or head to Beacon. Having more people searching underground will help, but having more people at Beacon, readying our defences, will help as well."

Blake nodded, then cursed as the call went to Ruby's voice mail.

Ren shot her a glance. "Calm down. Try her again. We've got time."

Blake met his gaze for a brief instant before he looked back at the road. "Where are we going?" she asked as she dialled another number—Kelly this time.

"Beacon. Like I said, we'll need all the people there we can get. They'll know what's happening by the time we get there, and hopefully we'll know from Jaune and Pyrrha if the attack is really coming."

The scroll rang. "That's cutting it close, isn't it?" Blake asked. "It'll take Jaune and Pyrrha at least half an hour to get around down there. And that's if anyone answers their damn scrolls!"

"Calm down. And yeah, it is. But we'll see."

Blake swore as the call went to voice mail. "I can't get to Kelly either."

"Try Ruby again. If that doesn't go through, try Jaune or Pyrrha. We'll be at Beacon soon."

"Soon? We're forty five minutes… away…" she trailed off as she glanced out the window and saw the buildings zipping past. A glance at the speedometer told her that they were going three times the speed limit.

"We're in a rush," Ren said in way of an apology. He'd never been one to take advantage of Huntsmen road privileges, but apparently he felt it necessary this time.

Blake nodded and looked back out the window as the scroll dialled. He was right. They were in a rush. And, if Menda turned out to be telling the truth, then all of Vale was in danger as well.

Blake shot Ren another glance. "Hey, Ren?"

"Yeah?"

"Can this thing go any faster?"


	20. Making Ammends

Ruby raised a hand to knock on the door, and hesitated. In an attempt to push down the anxiety that threatened to force her down the hall and back home, she took a deep breath. It didn't help. Her fingers tapped against the door, too quiet for anyone to hear. Embarrassed now, she gritted her teeth and knocked harder. She winced as the sound echoed down the empty corridor; she hadn't meant to knock _that_ hard.

She fidgeted, hopping from one foot to the other, and wiped her hands on her shirt. Footsteps approached the door, and Ruby felt her heart in her mouth. A bolt clicked, the door opened, and Pyrrha looked down at her, blinking in surprise. She was dressed casually, in trousers and a shirt; her and Jaune's armour was visible behind her, hanging on a hook on the wall.

"Ruby…" She glanced over Ruby's head, checking down the corridor for anyone else. "What are you doing here?" As she looked back down at Ruby, a clearly forced smile appeared on her face. Ruby winced slightly as she saw it.

"I… uh…" Ruby scratched her cheek awkwardly. "I wanted to talk to you. And Jaune. I wanted to… apologise."

Pyrrha's expression turned into one of surprise. She raised an eyebrow for a moment, then stepped aside, gesturing with a wave of her hand for Ruby to enter.

As she crossed the threshold, Ruby was struck with a sense of nostalgia. She remembered the day Jaune and Pyrrha had moved in here; her and Weiss had come along to help them out. The four of them had spent the day lugging boxes around, unpacking, talking, and laughing. Weiss left a week later, and Ruby hadn't set foot in the apartment since.

It was simple, but welcoming. Two sets of armour hung on the wall directly across from the door, along with weapons and shields. There was a door in the same wall that led into a guest bedroom—Nora often used it when Ren was away—and a hallway down to the main living area, as well as Pyrrha and Jaune's master bedroom. The walls were a plain white, and the floor was a dark carpet. All in all, simple.

Pyrrha stepped around Ruby after shutting the door and led the way down the hallway. "Put some clothes on, hun!" she called out, shooting a glance at Ruby. "We've got a guest!"

There was a clatter, hurried footsteps, and the sound of a plate spinning around, almost tipping over. Ruby couldn't help but smile. Jaune never changed; whether they were out on a mission, at home, at a meeting, he always had the same cheerful, clumsy demeanour.

The plate was still spinning when they entered the living area. A kitchen and raised counter on the left, a door to the master bedroom on the right, and a lounge area at the back. Pyrrha stepped around the counter and stopped it with a hand before clearing up the remains of Jaune's breakfast. Ruby heard a rustling to her right, but kept her gaze averted.

After a minute or so of awkward silence between the Huntresses, Jaune emerged from the bedroom, patting down a stubborn lock of hair. He froze when he saw Ruby, glanced at Pyrrha, then back at Ruby, shook his head as if to clear it, looked at Ruby again, and then sat down on a stool next to the counter.

A moment later, he looked up at Pyrrha and whispered something. The Huntress smiled, nodded, and turned to the refrigerator. She pulled out a jug of chilled water, grabbed a glass from a drawer, and poured Jaune a glass of water. He took the glass, thanking her, and drained it in one go. The glass rang as he set it back on the counter and turned to Ruby.

"Hey, Ruby!" he said, with his composure restored. "What're you doing here?"

Ruby gave him a wry smile as he shot another nervous glance at Pyrrha. "I just came to talk to you two. I wanted to clear the air—to apologise."

Jaune furrowed his brow. "Apologise?"

"Yeah, I…" Ruby reached out for the words, but couldn't grasp them. She knew what she wanted to say, in general terms, but there didn't seem to be any words to convey it.

"How about we do this in the lounge?" Pyrrha suggested. Ruby gave her a grateful smile, one which quickly faded when she saw the bland, expressionless face that Pyrrha wore. The tall, red-haired Huntress turned away. "I'll put on some tea."

Jaune got his feet in a hurry. "I can do it!" he insisted. Pyrrha leaned in close and whispered a few words—Ruby could guess what they were—and he backed down. He waved for Ruby to follow him and led the way into the lounge area, where he flopped down on one of the two long lounge chairs.

Ruby waited a moment, then gently lowered herself into the other one. Jaune looked over at Pyrrha, watching his wife's progress, while pointedly avoiding looking at Ruby. It hurt in its own way, but Ruby was a little grateful for it. It gave her the chance to collect her thoughts and confirm that she had no clever, articulate way of saying what she wanted to say.

A couple of minutes later, the clinking of ceramic reached her ears, and she sighed. Time was up and she still had nothing. Pyrrha sat next to Jaune, carrying a small tray with three steaming mugs.

Jaune took one, mumbling his thanks, and took a small sip. As Pyrrha set the tray atop a small table in the middle of the room, Ruby took one for herself. In an attempt to buy herself a few more seconds, she took a sip of tea and winced as it burned her tongue.

"Careful," Pyrrha said, a moment too late. "It's hot."

Ruby gave her a pained smile and set the mug back on the tray. As she sat back, both Jaune and Pyrrha focussed on her, clearly waiting for her to speak.

_To hell with it, then,_ Ruby thought with another sigh. _I'll muddle my way through._

"I uh…" _Good start, Ruby_ "I wanted to apologise to the both of you—particularly you, Pyrrha—for my… behaviour over the last year." Jaune looked at her in surprise; Pyrrha didn't react at all. "I've been a brat," Ruby continued. "A total brat. When…" She swallowed down a lump that threatened to form in her throat. "When Weiss left, I just broke down. And I know it caused a lot of problems between you two. And I… I wanted to say I'm sorry for that, and that I appreciate everything that you did for me then—it really helped. But mostly that I'm sorry."

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, who let out a long sigh, and turned back. "Look, Ruby…" he began.

"I know about you two fighting," Ruby cut in. "I know I've been screwing things up between you two. I kept taking Jaune away with me while I was… being _stupid_, and I know that upset you, Pyrrha. Ren told me all about it.

"I've made life harder for everyone over the last year, and now I want to make up for that. I just hope that you two can forgive me, and that you can stop fighting over this. I promise that I'll be okay from now on; you don't have to worry about the same thing happening again."

Pyrrha took a long sip from her cup, sighing again once she lowered it. Ruby swallowed nervously as Pyrrha set her cup on the tray and got to her feet. The Huntress stepped across the room and stood over Ruby, who did her best to sink back into the cushion. Pyrrha put both hands on Ruby's quivering shoulders and locked eyes with her.

"You idiot," she whispered. Then she pulled Ruby close. Her slender, yet muscled, arms wrapped around Ruby, leaving her stunned. She'd run through as many different outcomes as she could think of on the way here, but this one had never entered her mind.

"Wh-what?" Ruby stammered, lost for words. Pyrrha squeezed her, and Ruby took it as a cue to hug the Huntress back. She shot a glance at Jaune, who was sitting back, cradling his tea in both hands, and smiling.

"What?" she asked again.

Pyrrha pulled away, hands still on Ruby's shoulders, and gave her a small smile. "Of course we forgive you."

Ruby gaped. "B-But… I thought you were mad at me. I thought you two were fighting…"

Pyrrha shrugged. "Yeah. I was, for a while, and we were, for a while. But we got through it. Jaune spoke very convincingly on your behalf…" They both looked at Jaune, who waved. "Honestly," Pyrrha added, patting Ruby on the shoulder, "it made me a little jealous."

Ruby was at a loss for words. She tried; she strained to find something to say. But she couldn't think of anything.

"Relax," Pyrrha said in a comforting voice. "Yes, I will admit that I got upset with you—and Jaune—for a while about it. I never got any time with him, and whenever he went with you, he was going into danger. But we talked about it—well, we've been talking about it for a while—and we sorted it out a week or so ago. We just didn't get a chance to talk to you about it until now."

Ruby looked back and forth between the two of them, trembling. She wasn't sure if she was the one trembling so much, or if her scroll was vibrating at her belt. A smile broke out on her face and she threw herself at Pyrrha, squeezing the Huntress as tightly as she could.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Pyrrha chuckled. "We're your friends, Ruby. After all we've been through, you can't have thought we'd be _that_ mad at you forever."

Ruby fought back a sob and felt Pyrrha squeeze her. Another hand rested on her shoulder; Jaune had decided to join them. Ruby felt her scroll vibrate—definitely her scroll this time—but she ignored it. Nothing was going to interrupt this moment.

After a few minutes, they pulled apart. They all retook their seats and picked up their mugs of tea. The atmosphere—that had felt so tense to Ruby before—was friendly, and comforting. Ruby and Pyrrha had never really been _close_—Weiss had always been closer to her, while Ruby spent her time with Jaune—but being able to enjoy a cup of tea with the two of them again—like old times—brought her a sense of peace that she hadn't felt in… almost a year. As Jaune began to prattle on about something unrelated—he'd always been quick to steer people away from awkward situations—Ruby looked to her left. The seat was empty, but Ruby could almost feel Weiss sitting there, in her usual spot, rolling her eyes at Jaune and sharing knowing smiles with Pyrrha. A sad smile worked its way across Ruby's face, and she took a sip of her tea—now cooled to a drinkable temperature—to buy herself a few seconds to compose herself.

As she lowered the mug, Pyrrha's scroll the rang on the kitchen counter. She got up, patted Ruby on the shoulder as she passed, and picked it up. "Hey, Blake! Funny hearing from you this morning…"

Ruby tuned Pyrrha out as Jaune leaned in. "Look, sorry about all that," he said. "We really did sort it out a little while ago."

Ruby waved away his apologies. "All's well that ends well. Don't worry about it."

He gave a look—with both eyebrows raised—that seemed to ask if she was certain.

"It's fine, Jaune. Really. Still, I'm sorry for what I did to you guys…"

This time it was Jaune's turn to wave her away. "Hey, I was never upset with you about it. I was happy to help. Pyrrha just got a little jealous, I guess. Fancy that, huh? Anyway, we talked it out. We're good. Right?"

Ruby nodded. "Right. Back to friends."

Jaune shot her a grin. "Hey, when did we ever stop?"

They shared a laugh, but it was cut short when Pyrrha strode back into the lounge area, scroll pressed to her ear, and a serious expression on her face. Jaune half got out of his chair, calling out to her quietly, but she waved him away.

"Are you sure, Blake?"

There was a moment of silence.

"No, no. Of course. I get it. Better to be safe than sorry… Yeah… Yeah, I'll let them know… Alright. I'll text you with the details once we're ready to leave."

They both watched Pyrrha as she ended the call and slumped down next to Jaune.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune's voice trembled as he said her name. "What's wrong?"

The Huntress wiped a hand down her face and took a deep breath. "There's going to be an attack on Vale today."

Ruby and Jaune were on their feet in an instant.

"What!?" they yelled in unison.

Pyrrha looked up at them. "Blake and Ren found a member of the Black Talon in the city. He was apparently planning on defecting from the group and gave them some intel on an attack planned for later this afternoon." Ruby and Jaune gaped at her. All Pyrrha did was nod at the unspoken question. "They seemed fairly sure. So it's worth looking into."

Jaune shook his head in disbelief, then dropped back into his seat. "So… what's the plan, then?"

Pyrrha gave him a small smile. "We had a bit of luck there. Apparently the Talon has stored a large cache of Dust in the sewers not far from here. They want us to go down and check it out. And see if we can't do something about it."

Ruby pursed her lips. "'Us' as in…?"

"Jaune and I," Pyrrha replied, looking up at her. "But Blake said that you can come with us, or head to Beacon and ready the defences there."

It was a tough choice. Beacon was where troops could be coordinated and sent to where they needed to be… but finding the Dust was just as—if not more—important. She reached out to touch Crescent Rose as she thought, and then swore under her breath.

"I'll head to Beacon," she said.

"Are you sure?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah… I left Crescent Rose at the apartment; I'll need to go back home before I head to Beacon. I don't want to slow you guys down."

They both nodded. Pyrrha's scroll beeped, and she opened the device, as well as the message she'd just received. A holographic map of Vale appeared in the air above the scroll, with a pulsing orange mark in the residential area of the city.

"So that's where the manhole is that'll lead us to the cache," Pyrrha said.

Jaune leaned in, his face serious. "No mark for the actual cache?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "Their informant didn't know the exact location."

"Damn… I guess we'll have to go hunting then. At least it's just around the corner."

"Yeah," Pyrrha said with another smile. "Nice to have one bit of good luck."

Jaune nodded without a smile, then got to his feet and headed to the door. Pyrrha followed him and, a moment later, Ruby heard the clanking of armour as the two suited up for their mission. She let out a sigh. Of all the days to leave her scythe behind. She got to her feet and met them at the door just as they finished.

"I'm gonna head out," she said. "Better get to work, huh?" They both nodded. "Well… good luck, you guys."

"Thanks," they both said. Pyrrha stepped close and gave Ruby a quick hug. Jaune patted her on the shoulder. Both gestures were more than she'd expected to get from the two again, and brought a smile to her face. With a final nod of farewell, Ruby left.

The corridor outside, and the rest of the building on her walk out, seemed eerily quiet. Ruby had to remind herself that not everyone knew about the possible attack. The ordinary citizens of Vale were still enjoying their uninterrupted, normal lives.

Ruby broke into a run as she came out onto the street. She felt compelled to do all she could to make sure that the peace the citizens were experiencing went unbroken. She was a Huntress after all.

By the time she made it home, she was breathing in ragged gasps. It was a long run, even for her, and Ruby was glad she could ride an elevator to the top floor of her building. The thought of climbing the stairs made her head spin.

The ride to the top gave her time to catch her breath—partially—and she jogged down the hall to her apartment. Crescent Rose was hanging on a rack just inside the door. Ruby grabbed it, swung it onto its place at her belt, and glanced around the room. Yang had left, apparently; no one was home. _Probably headed to Beacon,_ she reasoned. Blake would definitely have called Yang first.

Ruby locked the door behind her and hurried back out onto the street. As she stepped outside, she froze. She didn't have a car, and Beacon was an even _longer_ run away. She'd never make it on foot and still be in fighting shape. She looked down both ends of the street, searching for a cab, then, just as she let out a resigned sigh, the ground began to shake.

In an instant, Ruby widened her stance and bent her knees. _Another earthquake? _But she was quick to realise it wasn't; the trembling faded away within a second, and, as Ruby looked around, she spotted a cloud of dust rising over the southern wall of Vale.

She swore under her breath and glanced around again for a cab. Then, with another sigh, she took off at a jog towards the wall. The spot where the dust was rising was closer than Beacon, and someone would need to check it out. If it was a Grimm attack, then it needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. She didn't want to be dealing with Grimm as well as the Black Talon. There would be one less Huntress at Beacon, but it still needed to be done.

The people she ran past seemed concerned now. They didn't know what was happening, but it didn't look good. And all they knew about was the tremor and the dust cloud. Ruby tried to calm a few down as she hurried along, but getting to the wall was her main priority.

Gasping for breath once more, Ruby finally reached the base of the wall. A ladder stretched up above her, reaching all the way to the top. Sucking in a breath, Ruby started the long climb. She thought back to the time Yang had fired her, Blake and Weiss to the top of the wall from a rooftop and smiled. They still hadn't devised a faster method of getting to the top of the wall; Yang had everyone beat.

After what felt like far too long, Ruby clambered onto the walkway at the top of the wall. Guards were scurrying back and forth and, now that she'd reached the top of the wall, she could hear gunshots and shouts of alarm. Things definitely weren't good.

Ruby grabbed the arm of a passing officer. "What's going on?" she asked.

The man didn't question her; no one but a Huntress would climb the wall during an attack. "The Grimm, Ma'am. They seem to be… trying to break through the wall." When Ruby didn't reply, he scurried off.

_Break through the wall? _she thought as she followed him. _There's no way they could; they should know that._

But, sure enough, when she reached the section of the wall where a group of guards were firing over the wall, there was a pack of Ursae clawing at the wall. Ruby almost chuckled. They'd never get anywhere like that. It was a moment later that she saw what had the guards concerned. The Ursae seemed to be hiding from their fire, using the armoured carapaces of Deathstalkers as cover. The Grimm were _coordinating._ Ruby had never seen that, at least, not amongst Grimm of different species. Packs of Beowolves might work together, but she'd never seen different Grimm working together for anything. What the hell was going on?

There were a couple of corpses, laying around a smoking crater in the ground where the guards had clearly fired a heavy, explosive weapon—probably causing the tremor she'd felt earlier as well—but other than that, there were no other dead Grimm.

"Quite a mess, huh?"

Ruby looked up at the speaker and smiled. "Hey, Coco. Fancy seeing you here."

Coco pushed her sunglasses up. "Blowing up monsters from the top of the wall? You kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world."

The Huntress hadn't changed much over the years. She still wore her black beret and sunglasses, wore the usual black and brown outfit, and carried her 'briefcase' in one hand.

"You here to join us for a bit of fun, Ruby?" The Huntress grinned, and Ruby couldn't help but smile. Coco had always been as eager for a fight as Yang.

"Yeah, I thought I'd help out."

Coco patted Ruby on the back. "Alright then, let's get this party started." She turned towards the guards, who still seemed to be working out what to do. "Get out the big toys, fellas! If they're gonna stand down there and look ugly, then we'll use them for a bit of target practice." The guards saluted, and a few hurried towards the nearest tower. There were towers built along the wall at intervals, each housing bunks for guards on break, or weapons in case of an attack.

Coco turned her attention back to the monsters below. "You ready, Ruby?"

Ruby nodded. "When you are."

"Alright then… Let's have us some fun."


	21. Sacrificium

The ground trembled as Jaune and Pyrrha left their apartment, but they forced themselves onwards. Jaune hesitated, and looked towards the wall; it was Pyrrha's hand on his shoulder that pulled him on. She didn't smile. Didn't offer reassuring words. Her face was serious; they both knew what was likely going on, they both saw the clouds of dust, and—most importantly—they both knew they had a job to do. So they pushed onwards.

Pyrrha led the way as they rounded the corner at the end of the street and headed towards the manhole Blake had marked for them. She head Jaune muttering under his breath as they ran and smiled a little. He still hadn't changed. Ever since their first meeting, Pyrrha had seen the kind of man Jaune was—or would grow to be. He was smart enough—in his own way—to plan a battle, brave enough to fight with his troops, skilled enough to win in almost any fight. Any good leader could do this, but Jaune had something that not many of them did. It was both his greatest strength and greatest weakness.

He cared.

Many leaders will care for their troops like they do a piece on a chessboard. Losing some is less important than losing others, but any loss limits you options in battle. It was an impersonal, cold caring, but they cared in their own way. They'd do all they could to keep their troops alive, but wouldn't shed a tear over a body.

Jaune cared for everyone like they were his own flesh and blood—his own best friend.

He fought harder, planned better, so that everyone would come back alive. Pyrrha had never heard of a general in history who suffered as few casualties in combat as Jaune did. But it was hard on him. He mourned every loss, and blamed himself for every soldier who fell.

Pyrrha recalled a mission they'd been on six months ago, in a remote village in northern Vacuo. It had been simple: check the defences, fight of nearby Grimm, and make sure people in the village were prepared to defend themselves. The first and third tasks were usually unnecessary—people who lived outside the kingdoms were used to protecting themselves—but it didn't hurt to check them regularly. The main issue had been a pack of Ursai that had been terrorizing the village.

Jaune and Pyrrha arrived just after the villagers had fought off another attack, and had leapt straight into taking care of the wounded. A young man—only a year younger than them—had helped Jaune carry the wounded to shelter, while Pyrrha worked with the medically trained villagers, organising them and making sure those who needed urgent treatment got priority.

Jaune and the young man—Holon—had hit it off immediately. They were alike in many ways, in fact: Holon had been a weak child, and ridiculed because of it, but he was perhaps the most determined of all the villagers to protect those he held dear. His parents had died when he was ten, and he had been forced to look out for his younger sisters ever since. After a few days in the village, Pyrrha was convinced that she'd never seen anyone fight as hard as Holon did, so great was his love for them.

After a few days, they'd found the den the Ursai were coming from, and Jaune and Pyrrha had planned out one last attack—to finally wipe them out. Jaune led the charge, with Holon at his side. Even though they'd only known one another for a few days, they were fast friends, and they watched each other's backs. Pyrrha was content to step back, happy to see Jaune smiling and laughing with his new friend, while she coordinated the other troops.

The attack went off without a hitch. The Ursai were slaughtered, and the den destroyed. The whole group had been in good cheer on the way back, until they arrived back at the village.

In their absence, the village had been attacked by a Nevermore—a _big_ Nevermore. At least half of the houses were in ruins, and corpses were strewn amid the wreckage. Jaune was petrified by the sight. He and Pyrrha had stood at the edge of the village while the inhabitants tore through what was left of their home, searching for their loved ones.

A familiar voice echoed through the houses, and Jaune sprinted toward the source. Pyrrha's stomach sank as they approached and her fears were realised when they arrived. Holon knelt in a pool of blood, holding the bodies of his sisters. They were young—one was eleven, the other thirteen—too young to die the way they did. Pyrrha felt a pang of pity and sympathy for Holon.

That was when Jaune made his mistake. He cared enough for Holon that he tried to step close and comfort him. Holon slapped away Jaune's hand and was on him in a flash, fists cracking into Jaune's head.

_"It's your fault! All your fault!"_

Holon's voice had broken as he screamed his accusations at Jaune, and he continued to roar at the Huntsman even after Pyrrha threw him off. Jaune didn't react. He merely gazed up at the sky. Pyrrha looked down at him and her heart almost broke.

His face a mask of misery, and his eyes betrayed his self-loathing. Holon had laid the blame at Jaune's feet, and Jaune had put it around his shoulders. Pyrrha had done all she could to calm the two down, but to no avail. Holon, wracked with grief, wasn't thinking clearly, and was adamant that Jaune was at fault. No matter how many times Pyrrha told him that no one could have predicted the Nevermore attack, he still blamed Jaune.

Jaune, for his part, said nothing. But Pyrrha could see that every word that Holon spoke was like a whip. That morning, the two had been the closest of friends—despite only knowing one another for a few days—and now Holon looked ready to murder Jaune. It was only Pyrrha's presence, and the sword in her hand, that kept him from trying. And Jaune blamed himself for all of it. Pyrrha had never seen a more hopeless expression on a person's face, and the fact that it was on the face of the man she loved made it all the more painful to witness.

They left soon after—as soon as they could. The other villagers were miserable and bitter, but none of them openly blamed Jaune. Nevertheless, Pyrrha saw his expression darken further with each frown he saw. Every tear that fell was a knife blade to his heart. And the weight of the guilt he bore was like a boulder, crushing him. An old myth told the story of a god, sentenced to hold up the sky as punishment; a myth it may have been, but it was an apt metaphor for Jaune's misery.

He barely spoke for days after they returned to Vale. It had taken Pyrrha almost a week to get him to smile again, and almost a month before he was back to normal. And even then, he was never quite the same.

So while Pyrrha said that the mark of a good leader was that he cared, and that any leader who stopped caring wasn't worthy of command, she also knew that Jaune needed to be able to distance himself from his troops, even just a little. Caring was good, but he cared to a fault. If he were to sink into misery and depression whenever he lost a soldier, then he'd be no good to anyone.

Holon had been a special case. Pyrrha was willing to admit that. The two had been fast friends, and Jaune had become very fond of the man. But, in a way, that concerned her even more. How would Jaune react if someone closer to him died? Like Ren? The two had been like brothers ever since their first year. Or Nora? She'd become like Jaune's little sister. Ruby? The two of them had been close friends since their first day at Beacon. _Gods forbid, _Pyrrha thought, _what if _ I _die? _She shuddered at the thought. Jaune had improved since the incident with Holon, but she still worried about what would happen to him in such an event. The life they led was a dangerous one; he'd never survive it if he reacted as badly to a friend's death as he did with Holon. He'd need to survive the battle, grieve, and then move on, so that other battles could be won. Life wasn't lenient of those who gave into weakness.

All of this ran through Pyrrha's mind as they ran past the concerned citizens of Vale. And so she understood how hard it was for Jaune to ignore them—to continue on to their goal—and she was proud that he managed to do so. He was turning into a great leader—the one she knew he would be.

He just needed to be able to let things go.

"Pyrrha?"

Jaune's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and back to the task at hand. He'd pulled her to a stop right next to the manhole they'd been heading for. He gave her a look of concern.

"Sorry," she said with a smile. "I was miles away."

"Pyrrha…"

"I know. I know. Concentrate. I'm good."

He eyed her for a moment, and then nodded. They worked together to heave the manhole up, revealing a ladder down to the sewers.

"Alright," Pyrrha said. "You go first; I'll watch your back."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "I bet you want to watch more than that."

With a smirk, Pyrrha spanked Jaune, making him jump. "And don't you forget it," she whispered in his ear.

A yearning expression came across Jaune's face as Pyrrha held her face close to his, but he took in a deep breath and collected himself. Pyrrha smiled—Jaune always had such good self-control—and then, just to mess with him, pressed her lips against his for an instant before pulling away.

Jaune reached out to her as she stepped back, but caught himself and turned back to the uncovered manhole, grumbling under his breath. Pyrrha laughed as he started climbing down. The smile stayed on her face as she began her descent, but, by the time she joined Jaune at the bottom of the ladder, she was serious.

_No time for jokes now,_ she told herself. _We've got a job to do._

Jaune stood in the shaft of sunlight at the foot of the ladder, looking left and right. All around them was near impenetrable darkness. "Do you know which way to go?" he asked.

Pyrrha followed his gaze, frowning. That was one bit of information that would have helped. "That way," she said, pointing to the right.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yes."

The eyebrow stayed raised.

Pyrrha sighed. "The water's flowing _that_ way," she said, pointing to the left. "So if we go _this_ way, we'll get to a junction—where the water gathers before flowing out of these pipes. Seems as good a place to start as any."

Jaune pondered, then nodded. "Sounds good."

He led the way, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Pyrrha perked her ears and reached out with her aura, sensing for anyone nearby. There were people running back and forth above them, but that was to be expected. The tremors seemed to have stopped, but there would still be work to do above.

If it was merely a tremor, then damages would have to be assessed, lodgings found for those whose homes were destroyed, and repairs begun. If, gods forbid, the attack had begun early… Well, they'd have their work cut out for them.

They walked for what felt like miles; the darkness made it difficult to judge distance, and their eyes adjusting to it didn't help a whole lot. Pyrrha found herself counting her footsteps.

_One. Two. Three._

More than once, they came to an intersection and, each time, they walked against the flow of the water. It wasn't the best lead, Pyrrha had to admit, but it gave them something to go on; it was better than wasting time debating over which way to go and ending up not going anywhere.

_Eighty-four. Eighty-five._

Jaune stopped, and Pyrrha bumped into his back. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

Pyrrha strained her ears; she heard nothing but the running water and her own breathing. "What is it?"

"I…" Jaune hesitated. "Come on."

Pyrrha frowned, but followed him without another word. If it was worth worrying about, Jaune would tell her.

_One hundred and seventy-eight. One hundred and seventy-nine._

At the next intersection they stopped. Pyrrha frowned and looked back the way they came, for all the good it did her.

"We should have found something by now," she said. "If the Dust is being held under here, then we should have at least _heard_ them moving around."

Jaune nodded. His face was obscured by a dark shadow, covering his eyes and half of his face. The set of his jaw, coupled with the shadows, painted him in a chilling visage. Pyrrha couldn't stop a shudder from running up her spine at the sight. He didn't look like Jaune. He just looked… angry.

"You're right," he said, and the spell was broken. Pyrrha let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding as her Jaune returned. "But I still think we should keep going… The junction would be wear I'd store the Dust, if I had the choice. From there, they can distribute barrels of it around the city, depending on which tunnel they send it down."

Pyrrha nodded. "If you're sure." As ever, she was content—no, eager—to let Jaune take the lead. He might have his moments of insecurity and self-doubt, but his instincts had never led them astray before.

With a nod, Jaune led the way; Pyrrha went back to counting.

_Two hundred and ninety-nine. Three hundred._

For something different to do, she decided to count down. Just to break the monotony.

_Three hundred. Two hundred and ninety-nine. Two hundred and ninety-eight._

Something splashed near Pyrrha's feet and she flinched away, drawing her sword and covering her body with her shield. Whatever it was vanished back into the water an instant later, leaving Pyrrha feeling very foolish.

_One hundred and eighty-three._

Jaune must have heard something, or felt something, as he quickened his pace. Pyrrha had to speed up to match his pace.

_Ninety-nine._

"I think we're close!" Jaune exclaimed, breaking into a jog. Pyrrha hurried to chase him.

_Thirty-two._

As they rounded the last corner, they saw the door. It was forged of iron bars, letting the artificial light of the room beyond shine into their tunnel. It was difficult to make out at a distance, but Pyrrha could see it was the junction they were looking for. A raised platform—like a large pillar—rose out of a pool of water. Water would pour down from pipes in the walls into the pool below, where it then drained through pipes low in the wall of the room, to then flow through the sewers and out of the city.

_Twenty._

They broke into a run, straight for the door. They reached another T-intersection. The water ran to their left and right in front of them, and the door was on the other side. Without a moment's hesitation, Jaune leapt over the fetid sewer water and landed on the far side. Pyrrha followed him a moment later, and Jaune caught her, giving her an encouraging smile as he turned away.

_Six._

They approached the door.

_Four._

Pyrrha stood back as Jaune examined the door and the room beyond.

"There's something in the middle of the room," he said. "I can't tell… It looks like a large Dust canister."

Pyrrha nodded. "Well let's get in there. Maybe there's a clue as to where the rest of it is."

Jaune nodded and opened the door. Pyrrha followed him inside, running her fingers along the iron bars of the door.

_Two._

The door to the junction room was inside a small alcove that had been carved into the otherwise perfectly spherical ceiling and walls of the room. Pyrrha looked down and saw that the water had been drained out of the room, showing its complete spherical design. _Weird,_ she thought. _Why would the water be gone?_ It had been gone for a while too; the concrete below them was bone dry.

Jaune stepped out of that alcove, and onto a catwalk that led across to the platform in the centre. Light reflected off the dome of the room, casting a streaks of light onto Jaune's armour, making him almost sparkle.

_One._

Something grabbed Pyrrha's heart. A feeling of danger. Something wasn't right. But she couldn't tell what. She took a step forward, reaching out to stop Jaune.

_Zero._

Pyrrha's stomach sank. She didn't know how she knew, but she was certain that they were in danger now. A lone Dust canister, sitting on a platform in the middle of the room. How had she not been suspicious?

"Jaune…" Her voice came out a barely more than a whisper. Jaune, who had already reached the platform, didn't hear her.

He stood before the canister. From where Pyrrha stood, she could see a clear strip in the side of the canister—meant to show how much Dust was stored inside—was glowing a bright red. Burn Dust. Refined, ground Burn Dust.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune called out. "This is weird…" Pyrrha's gut already told her what he was going to say. "There's a… timer…"

Pyrrha's feet carried her towards him and, sure enough, a pair of numbers flashed red on a small screen built into the canister's top.

_57_

_56_

_Counting down,_ she thought. That only ever meant one thing. She and Jaune locked eyes. His were filled with fear, and horrified realisation.

"We need to get out of here," he said, grabbing Pyrrha's arm and heading back to the door.

"No!" Pyrrha wrapped an arm around him. The sound of her hand slapping against his chest plate echoed through the room. "We can't leave, Jaune!"

"Why the hell not!?"

"What about the other Dust?"

"_What_ other Dust?"

Pyrrha yanked her arm out of his grip and pointed across the room, to the far side of the platform. "There's another door there, Jaune, and there's plenty of other tunnels the way we came! This is meant to blow, and then the Dust explosion will ignite the other Dust."

Jaune turned pale. "And then…"

"It's going to cause a chain reaction, which could—depending on how Dust they have—destroy this entire district. If not that, then it will do a _lot_ of damage!"

Jaune swore and turned back towards the bomb. The numbers mocked them, blinking brightly as they counted down.

_34_

_33_

Jaune swore again and dashed to the far door. "Pyrrha, see if you can defuse it!"

Pyrrha watched Jaune for a second as he opened the far door and glanced outside, then she focussed on the bomb. It looked rudimentary at first glance, but as she examined it, she realised it was a _very_ complex design. She didn't even know where to start. Jaune came back to her, his eyes asking a question he didn't have time to voice.

Pyrrha shook her head, and Jaune swore again.

_20_

_19_

Swearing again, louder this time, Jaune grabbed Pyrrha and dragged her towards the door.

Pyrrha struggled. "Jaune, what're you—"

"We need to get out of here." He didn't face her. Didn't look back.

Pyrrha glanced back at the bomb, and around the room. There was no sign of any more Dust in the room. _Maybe the water in the tunnels will dampen it_, she thought, though she knew better. No terrorist organisation would plant a bomb where it would be ineffective. And they'd had time to plan. Jaune was right: they needed to leave.

Something caught Pyrrha's eye. Something she'd missed. The light was reflecting off the dome of the room. Reflecting. She cast her gaze over it and saw why. It was made of metal. Maybe not _made_ of it, but there was at least a layer of metal over the concrete. She reached out to touch it, running her hand over its smooth, seamless surface, and her heart dropped. From what she could see, the metal was thick enough to contain the explosion.

Pyrrha felt her knees go weak as she realised what all this was. The metal shell would hold the explosion in, and force all of the Dust, and the flames that resulted from its ignition, out of the two doors on either side of the room. With that much Dust rushing down each set of tunnels, the Dust scattered around would be ignited and wreak the destruction they both feared. If _all_ of the energy of the detonation were pushed into the tunnels, it would reach even further into the tunnels, allowing the Talon to have set up even more bombs than Pyrrha had first imagined. Never mind the residential district; something like this could destroy almost half of Vale.

Jaune looked back at her as she stumbled. She could tell she looked bad; the worry on Jaune's face told her everything. A shiver ran through her. At the same time as she'd realised the true danger of the threat, she realised how to stop it.

Jaune hesitated, looking at the now determined look in her eyes. She took a breath and prepared herself for what she had to do.

"Pyrrha…" he whispered, fear in his eyes. He knew. He could see. But she wouldn't stop.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha said. Then, with a tear in her eye. She _pushed_. Her semblance took hold of Jaune's armour and hurled him out through the open door.

He screamed her name as he leapt to his feet, but Pyrrha _pushed_ again and the door swung shut. Jaune beat on the railings, screaming her name. Pyrrha did her best to block it out; every cry he let out was one of anguish, and it tore her heart to hear.

She ran back to the middle of the room and stood before the bomb.

_6_

_5_

She looked back at Jaune and smiled. The sight of his face still filled her heart to bursting with the love she felt for him. He stopped fighting, and his face was overcome with the single most anguished, wretched expression Pyrrha had ever seen.

He mouthed her name.

_3_

"I love you, Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed, as loud as she could. She closed her eyes and _pulled_. The metal that wrapped around the room groaned, and screeched, but didn't move. Pyrrha _pulled_ again, harder than she'd ever worked her semblance in her life. The hardest she ever would. The metal tore free and wrapped around her and the bomb, crushing ever closer and closer.

This was what she'd realised. The closer and more dense the shell around the bomb was, the less energy would escape into the sewers. Her efforts might be futile in the end, but this was all she could do to try and save Vale—and Jaune.

The metal crushed her legs, and she cried out, but she _pulled_ it in closer, as tightly as she could.

The numbers blinked one last time.

_1_

_0_

Then it went blank.

Pyrrha heard, somewhere in the distance, someone screaming her name, and she smiled. The bomb whirred, hummed, and then screamed. The shell grew hot, hotter, burning, but she didn't cry out. Everything she had was being poured into _pulling _the shell in even tighter.

There was a burst of light.

A wave of heat.

A flash of unbearable agony.

Then nothing.


	22. Unexpected Reunion

Yang saw Nora waiting at the gate as soon as she rounded the corner. She called out to the orange-haired Huntress, but received no response. The sun was shining almost directly into Nora's face, which made it even more odd that she was gazing into the distance with her arms at her sides.

The ground under her feet trembled, and Yang turned around, looking in the same direction as Nora. Raising a hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun, Yang eyed the rooftops of the city.

There was nothing out of the ordinary.

The tremor faded away, and Yang turned back to Nora. The Huntress was still looking out over the city, but blinked and turned to Yang as she approached the gate.

"You okay?" Yang asked.

Nora flashed a smile and nodded. "Yeah. I just…" The smile faded as she trailed off and peered over Yang's shoulder once more. Then she shook her head, and the smile returned. "Never mind. Come on."

The pair started up the stairs at a jog. By the time they reached the top, they were both breathing heavily. Nora stopped at the top while Yang climbed the last few steps and leant back, hands on her hips, and sucked in a deep breath. Yang did the same when she joined the orange-haired Huntress, so she was looking up at the sky when Nora spoke.

"Huh… Where is everyone?"

Yang looked back down at the area around them and, sure enough, there was no one around. She and Nora shared a confused look. Yang pulled out her scroll and checked the time.

"First period has started," she said, looking back up at Nora.

"There should be _some_ people out here, though," Nora said with a bemused look.

She was right. Even when classes were on, there were always students out on the grounds. Some had free periods, some had certain classes outside, and some ditched class entirely. Regardless of the reason, Yang had never seen the grounds so empty before.

"Do you think Ren got through to them?" she asked.

Nora nodded. "That's the first thing Ren would've done!"

_Then why'd they send us here? _Yang though. She knew the answer, really: Beacon would need as many troops on campus, ready to gather should the need arise. She just didn't like being separated from Blake when something like this was happening.

_She'll be fine,_ Yang tried to convince herself. _Blake can look after herself. Besides, Ren's with her. They're on their way here. Nothing will happen to them. _

Logically, Yang was convinced, but she couldn't stop the niggling worm of doubt that burrowed into her stomach. A shiver ran up her spine, and Yang forced herself to move, if only to distract herself.

"Come on," she said. "Let's see what's going on."

They headed around Beacon, cutting through the ground and near a small grove of trees on their way around the hulking structure. If they were gathering their forces, they'd be in the amphitheatre; it was always used a staging ground in the event of an attack on the kingdom. Yang had never seen it used that way before, but four years of the teachers drilling it into her memory during her time as a student had made her destination an instinctual choice.

Yang came to a sudden stop near another grove of trees. It was a densely packed group of some sort of evergreen—Yang had never been into dendrology—and it was impossible to see into the clearing in the middle, designed as a quiet place for students to study.

Not that Yang was looking.

Her attention was directed towards Beacon's main building. Nora gave her a confused look, and Yang held out a hand and craned her head to the side, listening intently.

There it was again.

The sound of clashing steel.

Yang frowned. Was someone sparring? Had Beacon _not_ been warned? If they were busy getting ready to defend the city, then no one should be sparring…

Yang's blood ran cold.

Had the attack already begun? Were they fighting inside? _No way_, Yang told herself. _How would they get inside Beacon?_

"Yang?" Nora's voice was concerned.

Yang pointed towards the school. "Do you hear that?"

They paused, utterly silent, until the sound of steel reached them once more.

Nora nodded. "We should hurry." Yang could see Nora's usual eagerness for battle spring into her eyes. No matter how serious the situation, Nora was never happier than she was at the prospect of a fight.

Yang nodded. "Let's go."

A breeze blew as they turned towards the amphitheatre; the leaves rustled above them. A chill touched Yang's neck. She heard something. Or a hint of something. Nora had taken a few steps away and turned back. It wasn't Nora…

It was behind her.

Yang spun.

Ember Celica unfolded and clicked into its combat form as she brought her fists up, just in time for something large and black to crash into her. Her gauntlets got in the way, sending up a shower of sparks, and blinding her for moment. The force of the blow sent Yang crashing backwards, where she slammed into the cobblestones. Her aura protected her from any physical damage from the impact, but it was enough to hurt.

"Well, now," a disturbingly familiar voice said. "Didn't expect to see you here, Yang… Or the fuzzball for that matter."

Yang swung her legs, using the force to spin around on her back, flipped over, and pushed herself back up to her feet. Something clanked on the ground as she straightened, but Yang forced herself to focus on the figure before her.

A large body stepped out of the grove of trees, swinging its large, double-bladed battle-axe onto its shoulder. Yang glanced around, examining the soon-to-be-battleground. Nora's hammer was out, and the Huntress looked ready for combat. There was no one else in sight, and there was still the occasional clash of steel coming from Beacon behind her.

Only once her brief scouting of the field was over did Yang focus on the man before her.

"Raud… You're still alive."

The mercenary gave her a lop-sided smile and scratched his cheek. "Well… yeah. I'm one of those 'hard to kill' types. Always have been."

Yang gave him a vicious grin. "Good. Now I get to kill you myself."

"You still upset about the whole Ruby thing?" Raud asked, rolling his eyes. "Come on. I told you, it was nothing personal. Look, I swear—on my honour—killing her is not on my to-do list. She's safe! As long as… you know… the monsters don't get her."

Yang shot a glance towards the west—towards the wall—where a cloud of dust was still visible.

"You led Grimm here!?" she hissed.

"Me? No. Take that one up with my boss. I just have to keep people from going into Beacon. So we can settle this easy if you just walk away now. No killing. No fighting. Just go back down the stairs, and you'll be fine."

Yang laughed. _He_ was trying to offer _her_ mercy? "No killing? No fighting? No thanks. You tried to kill my sister! Like _hell_ I'm going to let you get away _again._"

"Yang… you're in no condition to fight." Raud's voice sounded genuinely sad.

Yang raised an eyebrow and looked down at her body for an instant. What was he talking about?

She realised immediately.

The clattering sound at her feet… One of her gauntlets was lying in pieces on the ground before her. Her right hand was still wrapped in steel, while her left hand had only a ring of torn and broken metal. Yang looked down at the wreck of her Ember Celica in shock. Years ago she'd crafted her weapon, and now…

Raud screamed.

Yang whipped her head up.

The mercenary was lunging towards her, axe swinging in a deadly arc towards her. With barely enough time to think, Yang raised her surviving gauntlet and bent at the knees, ready to take the blow.

It never landed.

There was a loud explosion, a flash of pink, and Raud was tumbling away. Nora stood in front of Yang, Magnhild at the ready, eyeing Raud with more excitement than she usually had. Yang eyed the Huntress for a moment, then stepped back. As much as it galled her, Raud was right: she couldn't fight properly with one gauntlet.

She glanced towards Beacon as she stepped back, getting ready to bolt to the amphitheatre.

"I wouldn't go that way, either," Raud said as he got to his feet. "You don't want to see the mess the Talon is making of your precious school right now."

Yang's heart sank.

So the attack had begun after all. Ren and Blake had been wrong: it wasn't happening later. The warning had come too late.

Seething anger filled Yang's chest and heat wrapped around her as her hair burst into flames. She stepped next to Nora, facing Raud, and brought up her fists, ready to fight.

A small, rational voice in the back of her mind tried to tell it was stupid, that she couldn't fight with one gauntlet. Another, semi-reasonable voice replied that if she teamed up with Nora, she could take a supporting role, or could balance out the loss of the gauntlet with Nora's attacks. But none of it mattered to Yang, she was lost in the inferno now. The man before had tried to kill Ruby twice, and was now helping a terrorist organisation attack their _home_, and he even had the gall to _smile about it._

Raud grinned, his eyes turning wicked. "Alright… Let's do this." His grin turned into a wide baring of his teeth and he let out a battle cry as he leapt across the gap between them, swinging his axe in a black blur towards Nora.

Axe met hammer and the clang of steel on steel echoed across the grounds. A fraction of a second later, Magnhild's head exploded in a burst of pink, and Raud was knocked back a few metres. He maintained his footing this time, and stepped forward to attack again.

This time he let Nora swing first—she brought the massive hammer crashing down from above—and he spun to the side. As Magnhild crashed into the ground, he swung his axe at Nora's exposed side. Nora stepped forward and wrenched the haft of her hammer up, knocking Raud's blow up and over her head. She flipped forward and brought her hammer up as she right herself, then turned to face her opponent from across the small crater Magnhild had left in the ground.

Raud glanced to the side and collapsed his axe into a shield, raising it just in time to deflect Yang's punch. Her right fist, fuelled by her rage, slammed into the shield with a loud crash, and the shot that fired from Ember Celica slammed Raud into a tree. He bounced off it, unfazed by the impact, and smashed into Yang shield-first.

It was like getting hit by a truck.

Yang was launched up and back, then crashed to the ground on her side. She looked up in time to see Raud lunge towards her, only to be intercepted by Nora once again.

The orange-haired Huntress was like a whirlwind. Magnhild danced around her, a blur of grey punctuated by bursts of pink. It was all Raud could do to hold her flurry of vicious blows at bay. Shields were poorly designed for confrontations like this one; Nora was attacking so fast that Raud barely had time to lower his shield and see where the next blow was coming from before he had to raise again, blocking his view of the _next_ one.

Yang got to her feet and glanced towards Beacon. The sound of battle were getting louder. She could hear people yelling, screaming. _Damn it_, she thought. _How did they get inside? _With a roar of frustration, she turned back around to the battle.

Nora was lying on the ground, and Raud's axe was swinging towards her face.

Her instincts took over, and Yang dodged to the side, barely avoiding the blow. Her hair was tussled by the wind of the axe blade slicing past, ever so close. As Raud stepped forward, following his axe, Yang grabbed the haft with both hands and spun away from the mercenary. He was pulled forward and around to the side, off balance. Something lightly caressed Yang's left wrist. She let out a angry roar as she swung around with all the strength she had and flung Raud into the grove of trees.

He crashed into a tree again, cracking the trunk this time, and let out a loud cry of pain. Yang's wrist tingled. She looked to the side for a moment and was relieved to see Nora getting back to her feet, eyes glued on Raud.

The two stood a few metres apart, facing their opponent, who was dragging himself to his feet. His breathing was ragged and sounded rough, like he was breathing through gritted teeth. He staggered towards them, his ace dragging along the ground. When he stood no more than ten metres away, he looked up.

His face was twisted in a horrific snarl. His teeth were bared and clenched tight; spittle flew out of his mouth as he breathed. His eyes were blood-shot and red; the fury behind them was inhuman. A thin trail of blood was running from one temple and down his cheek.

Yang almost took a step back in shock. Her hair blazed hotter as she stepped closer instead. Raud stepped towards them. Nora followed Yang.

Then they were charging.

Yang attacked first. She jumped the last metre of their approach and brought a fist down. Raud raised his shield and pushed Yang off to the side. Something slammed into legs and she screamed as she went down.

The pain was excruciating, but Yang forced herself back to her feet. Strangely, the pain didn't get any worse when she stood. Taking a moment to look down, she was confused to see nothing wrong with them. She looked unharmed.

Something slammed into her right shoulder, and Yang fell to one knee, crying out. She clutched her shoulder with her left hand and rolled to the side, away from the danger. When she got back to her feet, she saw Raud and Nora locked in battle almost twenty metres away.

Yang watched in elation as Nora rolled away from the fierce battle, collapsed Magnhild into its launcher form and fired a grenade straight into Raud's chest. The grenade exploded in a cloud of pink, sending Raud flying back.

Then Yang's chest caved in.

She shrieked in agony at what felt like a wrecking ball slamming into her chest. She fell to her knees and hunched forward until her forehead rested on the ground. Hunched over like this, Yang expected to see blood dripping to the ground from whatever wound she had on her chest, but there was nothing.

She was utterly unharmed.

Raud let out a cold, cruel laugh. Yang looked up and met Nora's gaze as the orange-haired Huntress gave her a concerned look. She looked back down at her chest. This time she saw something strange: a small, black mark on her left wrist. _What the…_ It was only when Raud let out another laugh that she realised. Raud's semblance made other people feel pain for him. And Yang had been marked.

"Damn it," she hissed as she got to her feet.

Raud laughed again as he dragged himself to his feet. It wasn't until he looked up that Yang realised he wasn't laughing at her. His face was twisted, leering and bloodthirsty. The man had gone utterly insane. A drop of spittle ran from one side of his mouth; a drop of blood from the other. He began to laugh again, more of a low chuckle this time. The laugh escalated, growing louder, and he threw his head back as he laughed loud enough to drown out the sounds of battle inside Beacon. A moment later, the raucous laughter became a scream, and he was running at Nora.

Sparks flew as their weapons collided.

Yang was torn by indecision. She didn't know if she should tell Nora about Raud's semblance—that anytime Nora hit him, it would hurt Yang instead—or if she should just let them battle it out. Her fury burned, eager to see him defeated, but the pain made the choice a hard one.

Another surge of agony lanced through her side. It took all she had to not cry out. Nora needed to win. They couldn't afford to waste time worrying about Yang.

The two combatants parted, panting heavily. Both of them were grinning. Nora's expression was seemed more joyous than Raud's bloodthirsty snarl, but it was just as frightening in its own way. Yan shuddered at the sight and looked away, towards Beacon.

_I should go and help_, she thought. _I'm no use here…_ But before she could move, another lance of pain drove her to her knees once more. When she looked up, Nora was kneeling on the ground nearby.

"You okay?" Nora called out, panting.

After a moment's hesitation, Yang nodded. "I'm good."

Nora nodded and turned her attention back to Raud. "This guy's tough." The guy in question was stalking towards them, breathing heavily.

Yang nodded. There was nothing for it, she realised. Nora needed help. _Pain is temporary_, she told herself. _Get up, Yang. Fight. FIGHT!_

The two Huntresses got to their feet and braced to leap once more into battle against the enraged mercenary. Nora swung her hammer back and leapt forward. Yang took the first step to follow—and then a white hot flame of agony lanced through her head as something slammed into the hollow where skull met spine. She heard a loud _crack_, saw the ground rush up to meet her, heard Nora call her name, and then everything went black.

* * *

**A/N: Apologies for the shorter length of this chapter. There's a lot of things going on in different areas of the city, and I'm having to tell it all in shorter snippets, though I think the next chapter will be a longer one. And, alas, we are coming nearer to the end of this story. I think I'll have to have at least three or four more chapters, but I can't see it being any more than that... Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy it while it lasts. See you all next week.**


	23. Rupture

The Grimm kept coming.

A seething, roiling mass of black. Black fur, black scales, black feathers. Flecks of white, painted red, peeked out through the blackness. Claws and talons broke on stone. Pincers and stingers stabbed into the stone one at a time, ever so slowly cutting into the wall.

From atop the walls, bullets rained down. Men cried out for ammo, for reinforcements, and for help from on high. No one had seen an attack of this scale before; Grimm were never so organised. But the men, though not Huntsmen, were warriors in their own right, and fought to protect their home. With quivering knees, trembling hands, and fear in their eyes, they fought.

And Ruby watched it all.

She stood on the roof of one of the towers, flicking her gaze between the attackers and the defenders. Coco was pacing the wall below, issuing orders and directing the attack. Every now and then, when the men's fire lapsed, she would draw her own weapon and wreak havoc below. It gave them enough time to reload, collect themselves, and resume fire.

Ruby stood on the roof, the wind blowing her hair, and flinging her jacket back. It took everything she had to maintain her composure—to keep a straight face—with the scene of horror on the ground below her, but she gave it her all. In all honesty, she wasn't entirely sure what to do. There was no way she could jump down and attack the flood below them—she'd be torn apart in seconds—and when she'd drawn Crescent Rose to fire at them, Coco had stopped her.

_"Save it for later,"_ the Huntress had said. _"We don't know what might happen; you might need it."_

As loath as Ruby was to let the guards fight alone, she had ceded the point. So atop the tower she stood, hoping that the image of her looking down at the monsters, unfazed, would be at least a little inspiration to the men. She'd caught a few glances her way from men who looked like they were about to drop their weapons and flee; after meeting their gaze and nodding, they'd stiffened their shoulders, nodded, and returned to the fight.

_Huntsmen and Huntresses are symbols of peace in the world._

It was a line she'd heard from Ozpin many times, but had never really grasped until now. They were _guardians_ of peace, of that there was no doubt. They fought to keep the kingdoms, and the people outside them, safe from the Grimm and any other threats that arose. But there times, like this, where fighting wouldn't help. So Ruby stood as a symbol, to inspire the men below her.

At least that's what she kept telling herself.

In reality, she felt hopeless, useless, and embarrassed, knowing that so many men were fighting for Vale, while she stood above them doing nothing. The few men she'd seen looking at her had made her feel a little better, but she still wished there was more she could do to help.

"_Ruby!_"

She turned at the sound of her name and saw Coco standing below, looking up at her. Eager to help, Ruby leapt from the roof of the tower, fell about three metres, and landed next to Coco.

"We need to do something about all this," Coco began in a rush, casting a brief glance back at her men. "We can't just keep firing madly down at them; they just keep coming. There's no telling how many there are still."

Ruby nodded.

Coco took off her sunglasses and wiped sweat from her eyes. "Okay," she continued with a sigh. "Here's the plan: I need you to get to Beacon. Get an airship here. If you can, bring Yatsuhashi and Velvet—Fox too if he's around. We need some heavy hitters, and some even heavier weaponry."

"Yang and Nora too?" Ruby asked.

Coco nodded. "If you can. Airship comes first though. Don't spend time looking for them if you can't find them. Grab whoever you can along the way and get that airship here. We'll need to get some heavy machine guns in, and missiles, so make sure you get—"

"Ma'am!" a guard called out to the Huntresses, running from the far tower. He came to a stop next to Coco and took a moment to take a few gasping breaths.

"What is it?" Coco asked. "We're in a bit of a rush here, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Ma'am," the man gasped. "Message from the north-western section of the wall: there's another attack coming, Ma'am."

Coco swore under her breath and kicked the ground. "How big?"

"As big as this one, Ma'am, if not bigger. They're probably attacking now."

"Damn it... We'll need more air support then. Have they reported in to Beacon?"

The guard shook his head. "No, Ma'am. They can't get through either. It doesn't sound like they're communications have been cut off, just that no one's on the other end to answer."

"Great," Coco muttered.

Ruby frowned. They'd tried to get through to Beacon on the radio multiple times now, asking for reinforcements and air support, but hadn't been able to get through. Coco had dismissed it as interference; she'd been more concerned with running the battle here to worry any more. But the idea that there was no one to take the call…

Ruby looked towards Beacon. The spires were visible even from here, but they were too far away to see if anything was amiss there. Was Beacon under attack too? If so, they were all in _deep_ trouble.

"Okay, Ruby," Coco snapped. Ruby flinched and snapped to attention. "Slight change of plan. You need to get to Beacon as fast as you can, and tell them about all the attacks. We'll need at least two airships, and as many Huntsmen and Huntresses as they can spare. Two of us might be able to do much here, but if we can get twenty or so at each attack point, we should be able to clear things up. Got all that?"

Ruby nodded.

"Then go!"

All that remained in her place was rose petals, drifting slowly to the floor.

Men cried out and leapt out of the way as Ruby burst out the other side of tower she'd been standing on and _sprinted_ along the wall. She leapt to the parapets that ran along the wall and began running along them, in order to avoid the guards. The guards called out to her as she passed, shouting encouragement. Ruby grinned and picked up her pace.

Before she made it to the next tower, she heard a noise that stopped her dead in her tracks. Teetering atop the parapet—she _very _nearly fell off the wall, but just managed to regain her balance—Ruby looked back towards Coco's section of the wall—where the attack was fiercest.

The sound came again, like a line of bugles playing a dirge. On the ground below the wall, the trees began to shake. The Grimm near the wall began to pull back, as if directed by an unseen commander. They snarled, and they roared, but they retreated to the tree line. The sound of snapping trees joined the piper's call and, as the last Beowolf stepped into the forest, a tree was pushed to the ground, tumbling into the no-man's land between the wall and the forest.

A massive foot pulverised the trunk of the tree, and the bugle played again. Ruby's blood ran cold at the sight.

A Goliath smashed through the tree line and stepped into the open, braying its call and glaring up at the top of the wall. Ruby looked further back into the forest—directly behind the Goliath—and saw more black backs, and the tops of armoured heads, poking over the trees.

Two more Goliaths joined the first, trumpeting their anger at the human defenders. A chorus of roars and snarls joined in, though the monsters themselves remained hidden from view.

"We're dead," a voice stammered to Ruby's side. A guard was sitting against the wall, knees drawn up against his chest, hands over his ears, and weapon discarded at his side.

Unable to find the words to reassure him, Ruby said nothing. She wanted to reassure them, wanted to make them feel that it was just another monster. But three Goliaths? And more on the way? The guard—who was just beginning to sob quietly—was right to be afraid.

Just when Ruby thought it couldn't get any worse, she heard a high-pitched cry from above. A shadow passed overhead, and Ruby sighed. She wasn't going to get to Beacon. There was no way she could leave now. Goliaths below; Nevermore above. The guards couldn't handle _this._

Her decision made, Ruby wasted no more time.

In a blur of red, she drew Crescent Rose and deployed it to its rifle form. She pressed the stock to her shoulder and peered through the scope, looking up at the sky. The Nevermore had flown over the wall and was banking into a wide turn over the city. Screams echoed up from the streets below it.

Ruby gritted her teeth and leapt from the parapet. She pushed a guard aside, knelt down and rested her rifle in between the crenulations that overlooked the city. She took a breath, trying to slow her heartrate, and peered through the scope once more.

The Nevermore had banked almost ninety degrees; it's wings were pointed almost directly up and down. She grinned. The monster couldn't have presented a better target. Taking in half a breath and holding it, Ruby focused on one of the joints where wing met torso.

The cries of the guards, the screams of the citizens and the roars and trumpeting of the monsters still filled her ears, but they slowly faded away as she eyed her target. The sound faded until she heard nothing but her own heart beating. As that slowed down, Ruby sucked in another breath, filling her lungs this time, and fired.

A puff of feathers and a spray of red fell. A moment later, Ruby heard the shrill cry of the Nevermore and grinned. The soldiers murmured around her, but she paid them no heed. The bird was beginning to turn towards them; it was coming back towards the wall.

Ruby took a breath and fired another round.

Another spray of red, this time on the underside of the same wing. The beast cried out again, and flapped its wings as it completed its turn. It was angry now: someone had hurt it, and it wanted revenge. But it was limping—as well as birds can limp in the sky. Its right wing—the one Ruby hat shot twice now—wasn't flapping as hard as its left, so it was much slower than it was before. If it flapped too hard with only one good wing, it was liable to flip over.

Someone patted her on the shoulder. She ignored it. No time. The Nevermore was approaching, and Ruby's sight was trained on its head. She tossed up the choice between aiming for an eye, and focussing on the beak—hoping to get a shot down its throat the next time it cried out. Unwilling to depend on the beast opening its mouth, she chose the eye.

Her crosshairs swung and stabilised, hovering over the monster's right eye. It was a difficult shot; a Nevermore was like most other birds: the eyes were on either side of its head. But it was possible. She should know; she'd done it before.

The wall beneath her feet trembled, throwing off her aim.

The sound of worried cries reached her ears, and someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Ma'am! We need to go! _Now!_"

Ruby blinked and took her eyes off the Nevermore, taking in her surroundings. Every single guard atop the wall—except for the one talking to her—had their backs to her and was firing down on the outside of the wall. The din was almost deafening.

She looked at the soldier who'd caught her attention, confused.

"The walls, Ma'am. They've almost broken through."

Ruby's blood ran cold. She opened her mouth, took in a breath to scream orders to retreat, and then the wall trembled again, violently, and she slammed into the parapet, knocking her breath away.

Ruby heard a series of thuds and screams; the scent of blood reached her ears. She opened her eyes, squinting in pain as her head throbbed and her vision spun. She saw red on the floor.

She shook her head and her vision cleared a little.

She wished it hadn't.

Men were dying all around her. The Nevermore had passed over the wall, firing its razor sharp feathers down at the top of the wall. Ruby had been protected by the parapet she'd fallen against, but the men who had been firing over the other side of the wall had been left vulnerable.

They screamed as they died, and their comrades—even the lucky, unwounded few—screamed with them.

The Nevermore passed overhead, its shadow covering them for a moment like a blanket placed over a corpse. In a surge of anger, Ruby fired two wild, barely-aimed shots. One missed completely; the other hit it in the flank—where the feathers were thickest. She cursed as it soared overhead, unharmed.

The men screamed and dragged Ruby back to the crisis at hand. She looked around for the man who had caught her attention before—who had tried to warn her about the Goliaths. He must be some kind of officer.

He was lying at her feet.

His blank eyes stared up, past Ruby. Blood ran out of his mouth and mixed with the pool of it that was gathering in the middle of the walkway.

Ruby looked around. There were significantly less men screaming now, but those left alive were doing a good job of making up for their fallen friends. There was one man still firing over the wall.

No, Ruby realised. It was a woman. Her hair was cut short, and she was a petite woman, but she was a woman nonetheless. There were so many men working on the walls that Ruby had just started thinking of them all as men, but there was at least one woman on duty.

And she was the only one still fighting on this section of the wall.

She'd gathered all of the rifles and dropped magazines within her reach and had heaped them up at her side. Paying no heed to the screams and the dying, the woman was still leaning over the parapet, resting her rifle in the crenulation, and was firing into the mass of Grimm at the base of the wall. Ruby had to admire her spirit.

The Huntress glanced to the sky before diving across the walkway. She knelt against the outer parapet and turned to the woman.

"Ma'am," the solder said. She didn't even stop firing for a moment.

"Looks like we're in a bad way," Ruby said, looking up at the sky again.

"Yep." She fired another round and grinned as it hit.

"I hear the wall's in bad shape."

"That it is, Ma'am."

Ruby peeked in between the crenulations, down towards the ground. It took her breath away. 'Bad shape' didn't even begin to cover it. Chunks of stone were lying on the ground, and the Goliaths were smashing out more with their massive tusks. They were only about halfway through the wall, but they were making ground. One dead Goliath lay next to the hole they were digging. One. That was all the defenders had accomplished.

_Coco must be out of ammo,_ Ruby thought with a bitter smile.

"We need to get out of here," Ruby said, ducking back behind the parapet. "We need to get to Beacon."

The woman shook her head. "No can do, Ma'am."

"Why…" Ruby trailed off as the woman nodded towards her own leg.

A huge gash in her calf was spilling blood on the ground. It looked like a Nevermore feather had hit the edge of her leg and simply tore a chunk of flesh away rather than impaling it.

"Not gonna be moving on this leg, Ma'am," the woman said with a grimace. "If you say we need to go, then you'd best be going."

Footsteps approached and Ruby turned. The surviving men—even the wounded—were standing behind her, with fire in their eyes.

"She's right, Ma'am," one of them said. "If the wall goes down, then we'll die defending it. But Vale will need you down there."

Ruby met the eyes of all the soldier before her, tears in her eyes, and shook her head. "To hell with that," she muttered. "Let's just make sure the wall stays up, huh?"

There was no cheer, no adulation for her words. The men looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. They picked up their rifles and took up positions along the wall. Ruby cast her gaze upward, but the Nevermore was nowhere to be seen.

"It took off over the forest," the woman said. "Haven't seen it for a little while. You must have messed it up good, Ma'am."

Ruby smiled and nodded, though she knew it wasn't true. She'd hit it twice in one wing joint; that wouldn't be enough to bring it down. Something was wrong.

She peeked over the parapet just as the Nevermore let out a shrill cry from somewhere within the forest. The Goliaths backed away from the wall and formed an aisle from the forest to the damaged section of the wall.

A moment later, the Nevermore appeared over the forest. Ruby screamed for everyone focus fire on it, and drew Crescent Rose to do the same. Bullets hit the bird like a hailstorm, but it had no effect. Even when it got closer, and more shots hit, it didn't waver. Ruby took a moment to centre herself, took a breath, and sent a shot through the monster's eye.

It shrieked, and plummeted a few metres, skimming the treetops, but soon righted itself. Ruby could see the blood oozing from the empty eye-socket. She took another breath and readied to fire, but then the Nevermore dropped out of her scope. She pulled back and watched in horror as the monster slammed—at full speed—into the hole the Goliath's had been digging into the wall.

A loud crack filled the air. Afraid of what she'd see, Ruby peered through her scope at the wall, having to lean out from between the parapets to do so. The Nevermore was nowhere to be seen, and it was a moment later that Ruby realised it had smashed _through_ what was left of the wall and was lying, dead, on the streets within.

The Grimm trumpeted in victory, but held their ground. Ruby eyed them in confusion. Why would they not charge? They were in. Why not attack?

Then the wall seemed to buck and lift beneath her feet. Someone cried out; whether in pain or in fear, she couldn't tell.

Then the shockwave hit.

Shattered chunks of stone flew into the air, with people in between. Ruby was pushed up and backwards, along with the soldiers she'd been with. Crescent Rose tumbled from her grasp, and she cried out.

Everything seemed to slow down, and hang in the air. The cries stopped. Everything went silent. And then they fell.

Ruby looked up at the sky, still wondering what had happened, and took a breath. Closing her eyes, she bolstered her aura. She was too afraid to flip over, and see how far the fall was, so she just did what she could to protect herself. Without Crescent Rose, she had no way to slow herself down. All she could do was take the hit.

It hit hard.

The rocks slammed into her back, taking her breath away. Her head hit something hard, and she blacked out for a moment. She could still hear everything, but the whole world turned pitch black for a few seconds. Slowly, her vision cleared, and Ruby finally saw the carnage.

Thee was rubble everywhere. The wall had been reduced to almost nothing underneath their feet. There were corpses littered everywhere, along with twisted, ruined weapons.

Ruby hauled herself to her feet and looked around. Barely a metre away, she saw the female soldier who had inspired the men atop the wall. She was dead. A chunk of rock—slightly larger than the woman's head—had landed on her chest, crushing her ribs in and destroying her vital organs.

Unable to bear it, Ruby tore her eyes away. But everywhere she looked, she only saw more death. Every soldier that had stood atop the wall was lying dead in its ruins.

And the Grimm still hadn't attacked.

Ruby staggered through the wreckage, searching for any survivors—though she knew it was futile. Try as she might, she couldn't even find Coco.

She glanced over the shattered ruins of the wall and out the forest. The Grimm had all retreated once more; they waited on the edge of the tree line.

_Why are they doing this? How are they _organised_?_ She glanced at the shattered stone around her. _And what the _hell_ happened to the wall?_

The sound of screeching tires reached her ears, and Ruby turned towards the city. A car had come to a stop at the edge of the pile of rubble, and a tall, blonde figure got out.

After a moment, Ruby recognised the figure. "Jaune!" She waved and approached him at a run. The Huntsman waited for her, surveying the destruction around them. Ruby slowed down as she drew near. Jaune's face looked… blank. She'd expected him to worry, to be digging in the wreckage for survivors, but… nothing.

"Any survivors?" he asked, looking up at her as she stopped next to the car.

She shook her head, dismissing her concerns. There'd be time to worry about it later. "I looked for Coco, but…"

"Coco was here?" he asked. It was apparently a rhetorical question; he swore under his breath before Ruby could answer. "Come on. Get in. We need to get to Beacon."

"I…" Ruby glanced towards the hole in the wall. _Why weren't they attacking?_

"Ruby." Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. "We need to get reinforcements here. We need as many Huntsmen as we can get to hold the line. We need to go."

Ruby nodded, lost for words, and—at Jaune's gesture—got into the passenger seat of the car. Jaune jumped into the driver's seat, slammed the car into gear and spun it around before driving away from the wall.

"Any idea why they aren't attacking?" Jaune asked as he flew down the streets. There seemed to be no one around. They must have all been evacuated. Thankfully.

Ruby shook her head. "None."

"Damn… Well let's hope it keeps up." He put his foot down, and the car drove even faster.

Ruby glanced into the back seat of the car and furrowed her brow. "Where's Pyrrha?"

Jaune said nothing.

"Jaune. Where's Pyrrha?"

Nothing.

"Jaune!"

"She went ahead!" Jaune cried. "She'll meet us at Beacon. Don't worry about it. Let's just get the job done. We've got work to do."

Ruby eyed for a moment, and then nodded, sitting back in her seat. He was right after all: they did have work to do.

She glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the ruined wall behind them. The wall was at down; Vale was at the mercy of the Grimm. She prayed that whatever was keeping them from attacking continued. The moment they decided to attack—with an _army_ of Grimm that size—Vale would be all but lost.


	24. Battle Rages On

**A/N: Sorry for the delayed release of this one. I've been sick as a dog for the last week or so, and writing has been a bit of a struggle.**

* * *

Raud blinked in surprised and lowered his axe as Yang toppled to the ground.

He looked up at Yang's attacker and grimaced. "I'm handling it. Go back inside."

Nora spun around—only now becoming aware of the new enemy's presence—and immediately gasped and staggered back in shock. "Y-You… What?"

"Yeah, yeah," the attacker said, rolling her eyes as she sheathed the short sword she'd incapacitated Yang with. "Shock, horror, outrage. Can we be done with this? Raud, if you were 'handling it', then you'd be inside by now."

Nora gaped in shock; Magnhild clattered to the ground, slipping from her nerveless fingers. "Kelly?"

Kelly, standing over Yang's unconscious form, drew a dagger from her belt and glanced at Nora. She stuck the point of the dagger under her finger nail, digging out a small wad of dirt.

"Raud…" she said, looking up at the mercenary. "Hurry up."

Nora cried out in anger, grabbing Magnhild from the cobblestones and charging towards the woman. A flash of light blinded Raud for an instant, and then Kelly was gone, leaving a small scar on the ground where her sphere of light had sheared through the stone. Nora, already swinging, staggered as her hammer met nothing and almost tripped over Yang.

Raud sighed and stepped back, putting some more distance between him and Nora. The orange-haired Huntress knelt for a moment and checked on Yang. Raud could see from where he was that she was still breathing.

_Which is almost worse,_ he thought. He'd heard the loud crack as Yang had gone down. The sound of someone's aura cracking under strain. She'd live, but aura shock—for a dedicated Huntress—could be worse than death.

Nora got back to her feet and turned to face Raud. With a sigh, he hefted his axe and locked eyes with her. Nora was angry. Her shoulders heaved as she gasped breaths in and out, trying to contain herself. With a smooth motion, Raud transformed his axe into its shield form and brought it up, leaving enough leeway to watch her over the top of the shield.

She was going to snap. They always did. Raud had seen enough people lose friends—or have friends injured—in battle to know what happened next.

Resigned to what he had to do, Raud called out to Nora. "Sorry about this, fuzzball! You heard the boss. I don't have a choice."

Nora didn't respond.

She attacked.

Her hammer collapsed and she dropped to one knee, firing two grenades at Raud. He raised his shield to cover his face and grunted as both grenades detonated against it, pushing him back a step. As the sound of the explosions faded, he threw himself to the side. Nora flashed past him, screaming a furious war cry, and Magnhild slammed into the ground where he'd been standing not two seconds before.

As soon as he regained his feet, he leapt to the side again, angling forward, so that when he rolled to his feet, he stood behind Nora. Her head snapped around to look at him, and Raud felt a flash of fear. Her eyes were crazed; the whites of her eyes were tinged with red. It looked like there was a thin trail of blood running from her bottom lip to her chin. Raud narrowed his eyes. _What the hell—_

Nora seemed to appear right in front of him, swinging her hammer. He pushed his shield forward and deflected the blow to the side. With a loud roar of his own, he pushed feeling of fear aside and shoved Nora back a step. As she back-pedalled, he collapsed the shield into an axe and swung at her knees.

The haft of her hammer caught the blow as she pressed the head of the hammer into the ground and jumped up and over, still holding the hammer. The axe blow knocked the hammer out from under her, and she used the momentum to flip upright and bring the hammer down towards Raud.

He flung himself to the side, but the hammer caught a glancing blow on his leg, and he cried out in pain. His aura had lessened the damage, but _gods_ did it hurt. He looked up in time to see Nora's grin as she swung Magnhild in an oversized uppercut. The hammer took him in the chest and sent him flying back. Raud heard a crack as it hit him and—for a moment—was terrified. Then he realised that it wasn't aura shock—he'd been prepared, bolstered—instead, one of his ribs had cracked under the force of the blow.

He slammed into the ground near the grove of trees and cried out in pain as it jostled his broken rib. He could feel his aura beginning to knit it back together—which was always unpleasant—and grimaced. With his aura preoccupied with that, he couldn't risk getting hit until it was finished.

Nora giggled.

Raud looked up and saw Nora standing ten metres away, leaning on her hammer, chuckling under her breath as she panted. Her eyes looked even more bloodshot than before, and Raud could see a vein throbbing at her temple.

All bad signs.

He scooted back, ducking behind a tree for a moment to catch his breath. That made Nora laugh even more. Raud heard a clanking of steel and, a moment later, a tree to his left was hit with an explosion of pink.

He shied to the right, covering his head with one arm. He continued the motion, turning it into a spin around the tree and a charge at Nora—roaring as loud as he could. She gave him a wicked grin as she saw him coming, and began to charge towards him too.

_'Hurry up, Raud. You're taking too long,'_ Raud thought to himself in a high-pitched mockery of Kelly's voice. _Not as easy as it looks, you know. This chick is going mental._

They swung, and their weapons slammed into each other. Nora fired out of Magnhild's head as their weapons met and the resulting explosion knocked them both back several metres.

Raud dragged himself to his feet, shaking his head. He looked up to see Nora doing the same and dragged himself to his feet. _Just get a hand on her, Raud,_ he told himself. Shaking his head, he sucked in a breath, and then charged once more into battle.

* * *

Blake and Ren stepped onto the landing pad at Beacon and looked around in horror. There was a makeshift camp set up near where they'd landed, and nurses and doctors were tending to dozens of wounded—Huntsmen, Huntresses, and students alike.

Velvet stepped off the airship and patted Blake on the shoulder. "Good thing you got our attention; looks like they need all the help they can get."

Blake nodded, lost for words.

Halfway to Beacon, Blake had spotted an airship flying up behind them, towards the school. Using an emergency channel programmed into the scrolls of every Huntress, Huntsmen, and Beacon student, she'd gotten into contact with the pilot and—after a brief overview of the danger—had convinced him to pick them up. It was a happy coincidence that Velvet and Yatsuhashi had flown across the city to inspect the far wall early in the morning. Blake had been thankful for the stroke of luck that got them to Beacon even ten minutes faster.

But she hadn't expected any of this.

They'd come to Beacon hoping to warn the faculty of the impending attack and stop it before it started. But, by the look of things, it was already underway.

Ren put a hand on Blake's shoulder and nodded towards the school. At the end of the landing pad, some rudimentary fortifications had been slapped together. Roughly cut trees and pieces of broken furniture had been cut and broken up and placed in a rough, shoddy wall. Ozpin and Goodwitch were standing a table set in the shadow of the wall.

Blake nodded. Ren was right. If the attack had already begun, then they just needed to deal with it. It was best to report to Ozpin, and see how the defence was going.

They waded through the cries of the wounded and the grieving. There was a row of covered bodies set away from where the wounded were being tended. Blake swallowed down a lump in her throat. People were already dying; they hadn't made it in time to warn them.

Ren touched her arm. "Hey, focus, Blake."

Meeting his gaze, Blake sniffed, dashed away the tears that were welling in her eyes and nodded. No time for anything of that. It was time to fight back, to rid Beacon of the attackers.

Ozpin was standing over the table, resting his hands on it and looking over a map of Beacon. He looked up as they approached and nodded a silent greeting.

"What happened?" Ren asked.

Ozpin stepped back from the table, folding his arms. "We still don't know. They seemed to appear inside the school, ready to attack. There was no siege, no defence of the walls; they began the attack from the inside. We were caught off-guard, unarmed and unprepared, and nearly lost right then. Somehow we rallied and managed to survive long enough to get outside"

Blake looked behind her. "So all these wounded, and the dead…"

"All collapsed out here, or died once we got out. It's far worse inside." Ozpin took a moment to look at the dead, sighed, and turned back to the table. "We have our troops holding a line just beyond the main hall, but we've been getting pushed hard, and we're struggling to hold it. We need to push back, make some more ground—or at least give them something else to think about for a little while."

"We've been thinking about what we could do," Goodwitch interjected. "And we've decided that an all-out assault is all we have left to us. Isn't that right, Professor?"

She gave Ozpin a pointed look.

He held under her gaze for a moment, and then caved. "She's right. We have no other choice. If we wait, we'll be overrun. Our only option—as risky as it is—is to push as hard as we can and hope that we can force them out of the school. Once we're within the walls, we can recover, regroup, and get ready to repel whatever they throw at us."

Ren nodded and inspected the map. "Force them out the side entrances?"

Ozpin nodded. "If we can push them back from the main hall, we can split our forces into two teams, pushing down both wings of the school, and hopefully push them out through the north and south side entrances. Their forces will be split for a while, giving us time to regroup while they do the same."

Blake frowned and glanced at the wounded and the dying. They'd already suffered so many casualties. Could they risk more? Could they even accomplish their aim with the numbers they had left?

"It's all we have, Blake. We can do it," Ren said in a reassuring voice. She nodded, trying to put him at ease, but she didn't really believe it. Gods knew how many were in there… How did they even get in? Ozpin had said they'd appeared _inside_ the school? How?

Shaking her head, Blake pushed the thoughts aside. It wouldn't help to worry about this now. They could try and find how the enemy had gotten inside once they reclaimed the school.

"Are you two ready to fight?" Ozpin asked, drawing Blake's attention back.

She and Ren shared a look, then nodded.

What choice did they have? Their school—their home—was under attack; it needed to be defended.

"What are our orders?" Ren asked.

Ozpin leaned back over the table and inspected the map of Beacon. "We're holding them off here." He pointed to the main corridor coming off the main hall. It branched into two just past where he pointed, and split into the north and south wings of the school. "If we can push them back to the here—" He pointed to the first corners of each branch, where they turned to once again run through the school. "—then we can split our forces in two and force them back. Both teams will be at a major risk, and will _need_ to succeed. If one of them fails, and the enemy can come back, they'll attack the other team from behind, and we're finished."

A shiver ran down Blake's spine. They really couldn't be risking any more on this move. If they failed, they all died. Taking a breath, Blake steeled herself. _Then we can't fail_, she told herself.

Ozpin stepped away from the table, said something quietly to Goodwitch—who immediately left, heading towards the wounded—and looked towards the school. After inspecting it for a minute, he looked down and glanced at Blake.

"There's one other thing I feel I should tell you, Blake…"

His tone made Blake's heart leap to her throat. She looked around in a sudden panic. _Oh gods, where's Yang?_

"Kelly's inside. We don't know if she's okay."

_Oh thank the gods… _Blake sighed in relief that he didn't mention Yang. Then his words sank in. "Wait… Kelly?"

He nodded. "Some people have said that they saw her fighting, defending herself, but we can't be sure. She's not here, so we know she's inside, but other than that… I'm sorry, Blake."

Blake hesitated, then nodded. They were going in anyway, she'd just save Kelly along the way. The woman had been Blake's assistant for only a year, but Blake had grown fond of her. They'd spent many a night talking about their lives and gossiping. She'd never really fit in with the rest of Blake's friends, but the Faunus had certainly grown close to the woman.

Ozpin saw the determination in her eyes and nodded. "Very well," he said, turning back to face Beacon. "Best get your weapons ready… It's time to take back our school."

* * *

Raud threw himself backwards, narrowly avoiding a massive steel uppercut. He lashed out with his axe, aiming for Nora's side. She spun with the swing of her hammer and leapt back a few metres before immediately rushing him again.

Her assault was relentless. Raud was struggling to catch a breath in between exchanges of blows. She just never slowed down.

So he gasped in half a breath and stepped forward to block her next attack. They'd been fighting for almost ten minutes now, and he _still_ hadn't managed to mark her. She was too quick. How could someone lugging around a hammer that size move so damn fast? It was all he could do to keep up.

**_Then why not let me try?_**

Raud winced as a lance of pain shot through his head. He rolled forward and to the side, avoiding Nora's attack rather than meeting it, and came to his feet just in time to catch her follow up attack on his shield.

_Damn it,_ he thought. _Not now._

As Nora's hammer skittered off his shield and swung up, over her shoulder, Raud pushed forwards. His shield slammed into her ribs, and he kicked at her knee. It buckled, and she went down. But before he could take advantage of the opening, she threw herself away from him, coming to her feet and firing two grenades at him.

Raud jumped back, raising his shield once more. The grenades slammed into his shield; the force of each detonation knocked him a bit further away from Nora, giving him more room to breathe.

_I'm fine,_ he hissed mentally. _Don't need help._

He heard a deep chuckle and grit his teeth, trying to block it out. Nora stood where she'd stayed after firing her grenades, breathing heavily. Raud was glad for a moment's respite.

Nora looked as exhausted as he felt, but he knew it would have no effect on her. He'd fought berserkers before. Nothing stopped them. They kept fighting until either they, or their opponent, died. And by the look in her eyes, she was too far gone now. Nothing would snap her out of it but his blood.

He wasn't even sure if marking her would do anything now, but he still had to try. It was his best bet. Once she was marked, he could…

**_Yes… _**

Raud shuddered as the voice filled his mind. A sliver of fear wormed its way through his heart, and didn't disappear. He tried to quash it, but it remained. It always did.

**_But it always works, doesn't it?_**

_Shut up!_

Nora was stepping towards him now, approaching gradually. Raud stepped to his right, towards the trees, and she stepped to her right, turning their slow approach into a wide spiral. They'd reach in the middle, and then they'd battle again.

Raud took a moment to inspect Nora, and was horrified by what he saw. The whites of her eyes were almost entirely red, there was a line of blood running from her mouth and dripping off her chin, and her breaths her ragged and sounded pained. She was hurt, but she wasn't letting herself feeling—wasn't allowing her body to face the pain.

_Is this what I look like when…?_

**_No. We are the visage that strikes fear in the hearts of the fiercest fighter, the deadliest monster. She is a yapping lapdog to our mighty wolf._**

He shuddered. _Shut up, _he whispered. _Please…_

**_Let me fight. Let me win._**

_NO!_

They were barely three metres away from each other now, and their circling stopped. He could hear Nora's breaths gurgling in her throat. Whether it was spittle or blood that was making the noise, he didn't know.

At some unseen, unheard signal, they attacked.

Raud's axe seemed to swing _ever_ so slightly faster than Nora's hammer, and it nicked her cheek—drawing blood—a fraction of a second before the hammer slammed into his right shoulder. It was like being hit with a wrecking ball. Something cracked, and Raud felt his aura struggling to protect him, and then immediately shifting to healing the damage. The force of the blow spun him around, and tore his right hand away from the handle of the axe.

As he spun in a full circle, he felt his right hand brush against Nora's arm. His mind cleared, dispelling the fog of pain, and he sent a pulse of his aura down the arm and into Nora's arm. He leapt away as he finished his full rotation and smiled at the sight of a small black mark appearing on Nora's arm.

_Got you_, he thought. _Now I can—_

**_LET ME OUT!_**

For a moment, Raud struggled. Nora charged at him, disregarding the mark on her arm—or maybe not knowing what it meant. He watched her approach for a moment and, closing his eyes, made his decision.

_Yes._

**_Yes._**

When his eyelids opened again, the eyes behind them weren't entirely his.

* * *

Blake stood side by side with Ren, metres away from the only barricade they had holding back the Black Talon. There was an army—or as much of an army as they could muster—standing behind them. Huntsmen and Huntresses—even students—stood ready to do battle. A lot of them were wounded, but had insisted they could still fight. Ozpin had been willing to let them go, just this once. Retaking Beacon was of the utmost important, and if they were willing to fight—knowing the risk—then he was willing to let them.

Ren drew his guns, checking their magazines and barrels. He rolled his neck and looked towards the front, ready to go. Blake couldn't understand how he was so calm, she was almost having a nervous breakdown.

Before the forces had entered the school, Blake had looked around for Yang, sure that her wife would be around the camp somewhere. But Yang and Nora were both nowhere to be seen. Ren had seemed unconcerned—"Nora can take of herself," he'd said—but Blake couldn't help but worry about Yang. Why hadn't the two made it to Beacon yet? Gods forbid, had they just made it inside when the attack started and were both inside wounded, or dead…

She shook her head. _Can't be thinking like that, Blake. _But try as she might to convince herself of that, she didn't worry any less.

In an attempt to stop thinking about Yang, Blake focussed on the sounds of battle before her. She forced herself into her battle mindset, ready to fight. She could worry, but she couldn't let it impair her in the battle to come.

She looked to her right, at Ren, and then directly behind her, at Velvet and Yatsuhashi. Those two, being among the most able-bodied fighters, had been chosen to lead one of the teams to drive enemy from the school, while Ren and Blake were to lead the other.

_So no pressure,_ Blake thought bitterly.

Ren patted her shoulder and nodded towards the barricade. At a signal from Ren, the men and women holding the Talon off unleashed the largest volley of fire they could. Bullets tore down the corridor, dozens of Dust grenades were thrown around the corner, and—gradually—the sound of the enemy faded as they pulled back.

Blake whistled and gestured for the men and women behind them to charge, and then her and Ren led the rush over the barricade. At the fork, they split to the right, leading their team to the south wing of Beacon, while Velvet and Yatsuhashi split off to the north.

Blake drew Gambol Shroud as they rounded the corner, folding it into its pistol form. They were met with a hail of gunfire as they charged down the corridor. Blake felt bullets hit her, though her aura protected her, and she opened fire herself. The corridor became a hellish storm of lead and Dust as Huntsmen and Huntresses rushed their attackers.

At the last moment, Blake jumped and extended the pistol back into a katana before slashing down at the first enemy she could reach. They fell upon the Talon like a wave, breaking up the line and sowing chaos in their ranks.

Blake didn't stop either. She and Ren led the charge through the bulk of the enemy, cutting and slashing at anyone that got within reach of their blades. The enemy tried to rally, and form ranks to hold them off, but Blake began _shifting_ back and forth, leaving shadows in her place. With nothing to hit, and no idea where she was from moment to moment, Blake was able to cut through their defences like a sickle through a sheaf of wheat.

It was tiring though. Very soon, she had to drop back and let Ren take her place. Using her semblance so much, and so quickly, in such a short space of time wore her out. She needed a few minutes to let her aura rejuvenate. So, letting Ren take the lead, they continued to push through, leaving the stunned and confused enemies for those behind the pick off.

Ren was a storm. His guns fired in rapid bursts, tearing through clothes, and spraying blood. Most of the enemies were unharmed by his attacks—his guns were never made to dish out massive amounts of damage—but the tired ones, or the unlucky ones, were hit when their aura's faltered. He leapt in front of Blake and up onto the wall, using it as a springboard to soar up and over the mass of soldiers in front of them, sending a hailstorm of bullets down on their heads.

As he tired, someone else took his place at the front, a Huntress that Blake recognised from around campus, but couldn't put a name to. She launched bursts of Dust into the enemy ranks, freezing them in place, igniting their clothes, stunning them with bolts of electricity, and knocking them down with gusts of wind.

Slowly, but surely, the Talon began to retreat. It would be a long push, but Blake began to feel confident that they'd be able to make it.

They reached the end of the corridor and came out in an open room, a junction with doorways that led to other areas of the building. It was a rectangular room, and the door that they had to push the Talon through was at the far end.

The enemy formed ranks ten metres from the doorway that the soldiers of Beacon were issuing from, and began another heated battle. Blake threw herself into the fray, trying to avoid getting hit to give her aura time to strengthen. Her semblance had gotten them through the corridor, and she felt like it'd be needed again before this battle was done. So she fired her pistol at the ranks of enemies, hanging back until she felt recharged enough to attack with her sword.

Huntsmen and Huntresses fell around her, screaming in pain. She gritted her teeth and blocked out the voices. _They knew the risks_, she told herself. _And we have a job to do. _So she pushed, leading the remaining troops in a desperate charge to rid their home of the enemy.

* * *

**_He_** pushed off from the trunk of a tree and rocketed towards the woman, screaming **_his_** fury and bloodlust. She stood in place, watching him come, giggling. Her shoulders shook as she sucked in another ragged breath and swung her hammer.

Magnhild slammed into **_his_ **chest and sent him flying backwards. **_He_** felt **_his_** ribs break, and heard her laugh even louder as the agony shot through her. She hunched forward, as if in pain, and then rushed after him, swinging her hammer in a vicious arc.

They leapt back and forth, to and fro, across one of Beacon's courtyards, exchanging blows. Both of them were battered and bloody. **_He_** felt no pain, but knew that most—if not all—of **_his_** ribs were broken, one of **_his_** shoulders had dislocated, and there were several fractures and broken bones spread throughout **_his_** body. And yet **_he_** fought on.

And she was little better. Blood ran down her body. None of the wounds were fatal on their own, but her clothes were now stained with red, and she looked horrific. **_He_** couldn't tell at a glance how many of her bones were broken, but it had to be a few. They were both so exhausted that their auras were working overtime to protect them, and had nothing left for reparation of damage. The bones would take a long time to mend.

Raud looked on in horror, watching the madness unfold.

He watched as if through a murky lens, and had no control over his own body. He'd let go. The battle was no longer his to fight. All there was now, was to sit back and watch his body get smashed to pieces.

Every blow that Nora dished out would feel like she was hitting herself; the mark was still visible on her forearm. She felt **_his_** pain, making it easier for **_him_** to fight, and exponentially harder for herself. But she never faltered. And it was frightening. Every time she struck, every time she felt her own hammer stroke, she only laughed louder. As if she knew the pain was all in her head, and she disregarded it. Or maybe she just didn't care. Either way, it barely slowed her down.

Another blow landed, and blood ran down Nora's arm. It was a shallow cut, but the blood ran into her hand and made it hard to grip the hammer. **_He_** smiled. **_Not long now_**. With a bloodcurdling scream, **_he_** pressed harder. The axe swung back and forth, the blade glinting in the sunlight, and humming through the air.

Nora deflected the first few blows with the haft of her hammer, then her hand slipped. She ducked under the next strike and slammed a shoulder into **_his_** chest, grunting in pain before letting out another mad giggle. **_He _**toppled back, flipping backwards to regain **_his_** footing. Nora's hammer came up in a wild, one-handed swing, catching a glancing blow on **_his_ **leg.

The Huntress took a gasping breath and chased after her opponent. **_He_** backpedalled a few steps before attacking once again.

Nora was beginning to lag now; she was too tired. The battle was slowing down. It wouldn't be long before it over.

**_Die…_**

* * *

They'd pushed through the large room, and had forced the enemy back into the corridors. Many of the Huntsmen and Huntresses were hanging back, recovering from the battle before. In the corridors, only a few could fight at a time, so they took the chance to rest and recover as best as they could before the next battle started.

Blake was about halfway back, with Ren, panting heavily, but forcing herself onwards. They were still making progress, but it was slowing down.

Now they were battling through a corridor on the edge of the building. There were windows looking out on the south side of the school, giving Blake a pleasant view of the gardens while she waited for her turn to start killing people again. She shuddered at the thought. It needed to be done; they all knew that. But that didn't mean she liked it.

The Talon was a group of rogue Faunus terrorists. These were her people… She'd become a Huntress in order to help the Faunus, if she could, and here she was being forced to kill them.

Someone screamed up the front, and the limp body of a Huntsman was carried to the back. Blake didn't get a close enough look to tell if he was alive, but it didn't look good.

As her eyes followed the incapacitated Huntsman, she met Ren's eyes. He looked even more exhausted than she did. He'd been pushing himself harder than anyone else here, and it was beginning to show.

"How are you holding up, Ren?"

He shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"Ren…"

"We've no choice, Blake. I _need_ to be fine."

She nodded and turned away, looking towards the front. They were getting close to the next room, and the next all-out battle. Picturing Ozpin's map in her mind, she figured that they were almost halfway to their objective. She hoped that Velvet's team was doing as well.

Huntsmen and Huntresses pushed past them, heading to the back, their turn at the battle over. Blake and Ren shuffled closer to the front.

She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, clearing her mind. _Time to fight, _she told herself.

"Blake…" Ren's voice distracted her, but the horror in his voice was enough to catch her attention.

She opened her eyes and followed his gaze. He was looking outside, at the gardens. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed a hint of movement near a grove of trees in the distance. _Is that…_

It was Nora, definitely. A burst of pink gave it away. Nora, fighting. _But who…_

Then her heart skipped a beat. Lying on the ground, not far from Nora and whomever she was fighting, was a heap of yellow.

Yang.

Before Blake knew what she was doing, she drew Gambol Shroud and fired into the window, shattering the glass. In a blur, she threw herself out the window and onto the grounds outside.

The sound of footstep behind Blake told her that Ren was following. He'd seen Nora too. She felt a moment's regret: the people fighting inside would have to hold their won without them. But the sight of Yang lying motionless on the ground drove her on regardless.

The battle raged on, both in front and behind them. Blake heard echoes of screams and gunshots from inside, and heard Nora roaring in anger as she fought.

Halfway across the grounds, Blake recognised who Nora was fighting. It took her a moment to comprehend, and, even then, she found it hard to believe. Raud was dead, wasn't he? _Apparently not,_ she told herself. Because there he stood, roaring just as loud as Nora.

They were both battered and bloody, and their movements were sluggish. They must have been fighting for a _long_ time. The sight of Nora covered in so much blood was terrifying, and it was only made worse by the fact that she was still fighting. How was she even still standing?

Blake stopped for a moment as she reached Yang's prone form. Her heart cried out for her to tend to her fallen wife, but the Huntress in her knew that Nora needed help first. Raud needed to be dealt with. From where she stood, Blake could see that Yang was still breathing. That would have to do for now.

She looked up as Raud issued a loud bellow, and saw Nora falling to her knees. Magnhild hit the ground a few metres away, out of her reach. The enraged mercenary raised his axe and began a lethal downward swing. Something bumped Blake and everything seemed to slow as Ren barrelled past her, firing at Raud. The bullets struck the mercenary, but had no effect. With a roar of his own, Ren covered the last few metres in the blink of an eye and slammed into Nora, shoving her out of the way.

Raud's axe struck home.

Blake cried out in horror as the black-bladed axe sank into Ren's side, and blood poured onto the ground. The Huntsman toppled onto his side, holding a hand to his wounded flank.

Nora blinked in shock, and all her rage and fury was gone.

"Ren…" she whispered. "Ren?" She fell to her knees, patting him on the shoulder. "No… Ren, no!" Her words became frantic, hysterical. She screamed in anguish as she saw his blood.

Blake took a step forward, readying her sword. Raud looked down at the mortally wounded Huntsman, a look of horror on his face. The battle rage that had enthralled him until now as gone, and all Blake saw on his face was regret, pity, and guilt. A strange combination, but she was too furious to care.

He looked up at her as she approached, and took a hesitant step back. Blake raised her sword and was about to charge at him when a flash of white light blinded her. She hunched over, covering her eyes with one hand until it faded away. When she looked up, Kelly was standing next to Raud, looking down at Ren and Nora.

"K-Kelly… What are you…?" Blake murmured.

The woman turned her gaze on Blake, and the Faunus felt like a knife had pierced her. It was the look of utter disdain and contempt in her eyes that shocked Blake.

"Time's up," Kelly said. "We have to go."

Raud looked up at her. "Is he…"

She nodded. "And I'm sure he'll be _ever_ so pleased to hear about how utterly you failed to kill them… Though this one looks close to it," she added, looking down at Ren.

Raud looked down, his long hair casting a shadow over his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He put his axe away and straightened up, standing at Kelly's side.

"Kelly, what the hell is going on!?" Blake cried. It couldn't be. Not Kelly…

Her assistant met her gaze once more and sneered. A sphere of light wrapped around her and Raud and then they were gone. Blake stared at the empty space where they once were, lost. _It can't be true…_ She lowered her gaze to the ground, and finally realised how completely they'd been fooled. There was a tiny crater in the cobblestone ground, where the sphere of light had touched the ground before vanishing. It was a round, clean, perfect cut, like a section of stone had been removed from existence.

Just like the one she'd seen on the floor in the prison cells when their prisoners had been found dead.

Blake staggered back, putting Gambol Shroud away. As she turned, she froze again. Nora was holding Ren, sobbing, and rocking back and forth. Yang was lying still a few metres behind them. The sounds of battle were still echoing from Beacon.

Everything was falling apart right in front of her eyes, and Blake couldn't think of any way to stop it.


	25. Evacuation

People were fleeing the city, and Vale was awash with panic. The wall had been broken down in multiple places by now, and there was still no response from Beacon. And, perhaps the worst part, no one knew why. Was Beacon ignoring the plight of the city? Was something happening there? No one knew.

Ruby and Jaune hadn't gotten far in their vehicle before they were stuck in a swarm of evacuating citizens. With no Huntsmen or Huntresses to coordinate the effort, it had become a panicked rush to the airport. The government of the kingdom had always made sure that there were enough airships to evacuate the entire population, just in case something like this were to happen. But, without any guidance or coordination, it was taking a long time to get people aboard.

Unable to continue driving, and seeing the need for their presence, Ruby and Jaune had abandoned the car and rushed on foot to the airport. There was still no word from Beacon, and Ruby was almost frantic with worry, but evacuating the people of Vale had to take priority.

So here they were, standing outside the terminal, on the landing platform. Jaune had taken command immediately, taking a megaphone and addressing the panicked civilians. Ruby stood back, letting her presence calm the crowd, and talked quietly to one of the terminal guards.

"So you can't even get in contact with the school?" she asked.

The guard shook his head. "No, Ma'am. We're getting nothing but static. Hell of a time for their communications to go down."

"No kidding," she murmured. "Have you sent any runners?" If they couldn't get through on the radio, it was the most obvious substitute.

He nodded. "We sent a pair in a patrol ship about a half hour ago; we haven't heard back from them."

"Damn it… Something's definitely wrong."

"What was your first clue, Ma'am?"

She rolled her eyes. "Have you got any patrol ships in dock? Any that are ready to fly?"

"Some are out on patrol, Ma'am, but there are a few left in the hangar."

"Show me."

Ruby waved at Jaune, signalling that she'd return in a few minutes. He nodded, and turned back to the crowd. There was something about him that put Ruby off. Even in a crisis, Jaune always had some measure of his normal humour. There was none of that now; he definitely seemed out of sorts.

Bringing her attention back to the matter at hand, Ruby let the guard lead her across the massive platform to a small hangar, near the far side of the terminal. Inside it there were two patrol ships: small, nimble airships that were designed for speed and manoeuvrability. They held a maximum of three people, and, other than that, there wasn't enough room on board to fit a kitten. Very small, very cramped, but very fast.

Ruby looked them over, and was satisfied with what she saw. She'd never been dedicated to piloting, but every Huntsmen and Huntress was taught how to fly them. If the need arose, she'd be able to move it from point A to point B, and quickly, but there'd be no aerial stunts or fancy piloting. She didn't want to need them, but, if the crowd in the streets got out of hand, having the patrol ships would come in handy.

She nodded at the guard and they made their way back to the terminal. Jaune was having a hushed conversation with one of the pilots. As Ruby approached, Jaune patted the pilot on the shoulder and nodded. The pilot rushed back to the waiting airships—massive, long-distance airships.

Jaune faced the crowd again and raised the megaphone. "Okay, people," he began. "The pilots have told me that everything's ready to go and we'll begin boarding shortly. _But!_" he shouted as the crowd began to press forward. "But… Before you board, we need to organise everything. So if families could group together, we'll split you all into lines and get you on board…"

Ruby tuned his words out as she looked at the airships. The landing pad was large enough to fit twenty airships on its various landing zones, and there were dozens of other airships waiting in the hangars. There'd be enough to get everyone out, but it would be a slow process. Jaune's method of organising everyone would be slow to start with, but once it got moving, it would be faster than people madly rushing for the airships.

She kept telling herself that as she watched the crowd anxiously eyeing the airships.

The crowd started edging towards the airships. Jaune's continued words kept them in line, kept them calm. The armed guards waiting next to each airship's boarding ramp probably helped as well.

Just as the first civilians stepped aboard their airships, the speakers on the roof of the terminal crackled to life.

A high-pitched tone rang from them, and Ruby smiled with relief. The tone signified that the following message was an emergency broadcast from Beacon. Someone in the communications room at Beacon had patched the school into every government radio receiver in the city.

As the tone faded away, whoever was on the other end cleared their throat.

When the voice came, Ruby's blood ran cold.

"Greetings, people of Vale," the voice said with a hint of amusement. "Some of you may know me, and some may not, but my name is Myrka Vald."

Ruby stared blankly at the speakers, trying to convince herself that she was dreaming. He couldn't be back. Not now.

_But who else could hold the Grimm outside the city?_

She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and shook her head, trying to deny it. But she already knew it was true.

"Now, regardless of whether you know me or not, my message to you is the same. Return to your homes."

The crowd murmured quietly at his words. Ruby met Jaune's eyes; he looked unsure, but angry. The pilots were waiting for them to start boarding, but nobody moved.

"I will give you all one hour," Myrka continued. "One hour to return to your homes, or the home of a friend. Anybody still on the streets after that time is up will be killed."

There were gasps of shock in the crowd. Ruby shuddered at how casually he made the threat.

"The walls of Vale have crumbled. The Grimm wait at my command. Once the hour is up, I will send them into the city, and let them have their way with any left on the streets. Those of you who still wish to flee, go ahead. But I think it will take quite a bit longer than an hour to evacuate everyone in the city. So, to those who don't want to take the risk, I'd advise you head home now. Your hour starts now."

Jaune took a step toward the crowd and raised the megaphone—no doubt hoping to encourage them—but Ruby already saw a few families pushing through the crowd, trying to leave the terminal. She couldn't blame them. They were terrified, and with good reason. Staying at home would be the only comfort they had. Fleeing to another kingdom would be daunting under any circumstances. But _these_, with the lives of everyone in the kingdom at stake… Ruby was surprised to see people still waiting to get on the airships.

One father pushed through the crowd and grabbed Jaune, pleading for him to let his family aboard. Jaune hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. The man almost broke into tears as he gushed his thanks and gestured for his wife and daughters to board the nearest airship.

Jaune stepped back, clearing a path, and called out for anyone still willing to leave the kingdom to get on board as quickly and calmly as possible.

"Now," Myrka spoke again. Everyone froze in place. "To those of you still putting up resistance on Beacon's grounds—and to any Huntsmen and Huntresses in the city—lay up your arms. Ozpin… give yourself up, meet me in your study within ten minutes, and I'll let whoever's still alive out there leave the kingdom. And leave they will. No Huntsmen shall remain within Vale after the hour—woops, fifty-eight minutes—has passed, or they will be found and executed.

"Both of the teams you sent into the school have been stopped. My men will stand down for the next hour. You have until the end of your deadline to enter the school and retrieve any dead or wounded you may wish to recover. _Any _hostilities will be answered with lethal force. So don't be stupid. Retrieve your comrades and leave. Don't make me kill any more of you than I have to.

"You have ten minutes, Ozpin."

As Myrka's voice echoed across the open expanse of the landing pad, Ruby looked once more to Jaune. She jumped when she realised he was standing right next to her now, watching to civilians who had decided to board the airships regardless. It wasn't many. Ruby looked past Jaune and saw the crowd thinning out as people pushed back through the terminal, trying to get back out to the streets.

"You think Ozpin will give himself up?" she asked, looking back at Jaune. The Huntsman was looking up at the spire of Beacon—the only part of the school visible from where they were. Ruby followed his gaze. Myrka was up there, in Ozpin's office, no doubt looking down on the city—on them. The thought made her shudder.

"Yes." Jaune's voice was resigned. "If it keeps the students alive, he'll do it in a heartbeat."

Ruby sighed. He was right. One life, weighed against hundreds? It wasn't even a choice for someone like Ozpin.

"We need to get up there," Jaune muttered. "If there are that many injured, they'll need all the help they can get."

Ruby cast her gaze around the landing pad. Three airships had been filled, and the rest of crowd was gone—though she heard people yelling from inside the terminal, so they hadn't gotten far. She nodded. The citizens had made their choice; their job was done.

They needed to get to Beacon.

"There are some patrol ships in a hanger over there," Ruby said.

Jaune nodded and waved for the pilots to take off. Wind erupted around them as the airship engines turned on and revved. Ruby's jacket whipped out behind her and she covered her face with an arm to keep the dust out of her eyes. As the airships took off, Jaune patted her on the shoulder and they turned towards the hangar.

After a quick search, they found a rack of keys, and started one of them. Jaune jumped in the pilot's seat and turned to Ruby, stopping her as she tried to sit next to him.

"Can you fly one?" he asked.

She nodded. "Not amazingly. But I can."

"Good. We should take two. Just in case. These things don't have much room, but they'll probably need as much as they can get."

Ruby nodded and jumped out, grabbed another key, and started up the next one in line. She looked over at Jaune as her ship started. He was fiddling with the radio. She called out his name, and he looked up and nodded. His ship slowly lifted off the ground, and shot out of the hangar. Ruby followed him out, quite a bit slower.

She joined him, hovering fifty metres above the landing pad. He had a headset on and was talking to someone over the radio. When he saw Ruby with him, he turned his airship around and shot towards Beacon. Ruby tilted the control sticks forward and followed. It took her a minute or two to be reacquainted with the control—it had been a long time since she'd flown one of these—but she was soon able to at least keep up with Jaune.

Beacon looked undamaged, which was the most surprising thing. Ruby found herself wondering if Myrka had even attacked the school at all. It wasn't until they swung around to the back of the front of the school—near Beacon's landing pad—that they saw the horror he'd wrought.

Even from above, it was easy to see the carnage. There were scores—maybe hundreds—of wounded. Students, faculty, Huntsmen, and Huntresses alike. They lay in makeshift beds, or on the ground, being tended to by Beacon's medical staff.

There was a small command centre set up at the edge of the rudimentary camp nearest to the school. There were a couple of people standing around a table, but Ruby was too high up to make out who they were.

She and Jaune brought their airships down on the landing pad, landing in between bigger airships that were already there.

The cries of the wounded reached Ruby's ears as soon as she switched the engine off. People screaming or moaning in pain, relief, or horror. She shared a look with Jaune as they crossed the landing pad. His expression was blank, measured. Not a trace of the horror Ruby felt was visible on his face.

They waded through the camp, weaving through the crowd that bustled back and forth. The medical staff of the school wasn't enough to help this many wounded; everyone who could still walk was helping—even the students who had no medical training were getting rushed battlefield-first aid instruction and doing all they could to help.

Ruby forced herself to look straight ahead, and ignore the cries. Tears welled up in her eyes nonetheless, and she had to dash them away several times before they reached the command centre. Jaune was just as stoic; he showed no reaction. Ruby wasn't sure if she should be impressed by his strength, or worried about him. She looked around, but couldn't see Pyrrha anywhere.

There were three people standing around the table at the command centre: Goodwitch, Oobleck, and a Huntress whose face Ruby recognised, though she couldn't remember her name.

"Professor Goodwitch," Jaune said as they came a stop a few metres away.

All three of them turned towards them. Goodwitch frowned, and Oobleck quickly turned his attention back to the map. A sense of dread dropped over Ruby like a wet blanket, weighing her down.

"Jaune… Ruby…" Goodwitch muttered, her frown deepening. She took a breath and straightened. Her frown disappeared and was replaced by her usual near-emotionless look of faint disapproval. "Good of you to finally join us."

"Sorry, Ma'am," Jaune replied. "We got caught up in the city."

Her expression didn't change, but Goodwitch's face paled. "How are things down there? We've received no word since this began."

"As calm as I think they'll be for a while, Ma'am. Three intercontinental airships of civilians left the kingdom a few minutes ago, and I've requested another two come and help out here."

"Only three?"

Jaune nodded. "Myrka's threat swayed everyone else. They all returned to their homes."

Goodwitch nodded. "At least they'll live."

"What's the situation here, Ma'am?" Jaune asked.

Ruby cut in. "Where are Yang and Blake?"

Jaune shot a glance at her, and Ruby thought she saw a flash of grief on his face.

Goodwitch frowned again as she looked at Ruby before answering Jaune's question. "The situation is… dire. Never to my knowledge has anything this catastrophic occurred in any kingdom. We… We have no choice but to take Myrka's offer of retreat."

Ruby gaped. She'd figured things were bad, but to give up without a fight like this… "But…"

"Look around you, Ruby," Goodwitch gestured around them. "We don't have enough able-bodied people to take care of our wounded, let alone retake the school. We need time to recover, to heal, and to plan. The decision has been made. We cannot fight in our condition, against that many troops, so we run." She winced as she said the word 'run', and Ruby finally gave in with a nod. She could see how much it pained Goodwitch to say it; no one was giving up lightly.

"So… Professor Ozpin?" Ruby asked.

Goodwitch looked up towards Ozpin's office, atop the mighty tower that looked down over Vale. "He gave himself up. And… he won't be coming back. We all knew what Myrka wanted."

Ruby swallowed back a lump in her throat and nodded.

"As for Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao Long… Blake and Yang…" Goodwitch looked back at Ruby. "Blake led one of our teams that tried to retake the school, along with Ren." She looked at Jaune. "And, as you no doubt know, they failed. We haven't heard back from them since. We don't know if they're wounded, dying, or… already dead. Yang never reported here. Neither did Miss Valkyrie or Miss Nikos for that matter."

Ruby looked up at Jaune. Pyrrha wasn't here? Jaune had said that she'd headed to Beacon. If she wasn't here, then where was she? And where was Yang? And Nora? Was Blake okay?

The questions almost overwhelmed Ruby, and she felt tears welling up again. She sucked in a lungful of air and dashed them away, trying to compose herself. _Blake will be fine,_ she told herself. _She can take care of herself._ But try as she might to convince herself of that, Ruby was still scared of what might have happened.

She couldn't lose them as well…

Jaune's hand on her shoulder snapped her back. She looked up at him again. He didn't smile. He didn't offer reassuring words. He just squeezed her shoulder. And that helped. Any smile would have looked fake; any words of kindness would have rung hollow. All he did was try to give her a bit of whatever strength was keeping him up. And Ruby felt a little better for it.

Goodwitch, having seen this exchange, nodded at them. "We're sending in a team now to look for more wounded inside. Then we have to start getting people on board these ships and out of here. You won't have much time to look."

"We flew here in patrol airships, Ma'am," Jaune said. "They won't do much good for you, but…" He looked down at Ruby, and squeezed her shoulder again. "We'll find them. If we're not back by the time you leave, leave those two ships here; we'll catch up."

Goodwitch hesitated, then nodded. "Look to the south of the school; that's where we sent them. And don't take too long," she said, concern in her voice. "If you're here when the hour runs out, they _will_ kill you."

"Yes, Ma'am," they said in unison. Then, without another word, they broke into a run, rounded the wall, and headed into the shadowy interior of Beacon.

The school was wrapped in an eerie silence. Ruby and Jaune looked around, but saw no one. There were signs of battle: empty magazines, shell casings, bullet holes in the walls, blood stains, and shattered weapons. But there were no wounded, no dead, not even the enemy was in sight. Goodwitch must have sent teams that had already swept through here, Ruby realised. She and Jaune shared another look and dashed through the main hall.

At the end of the first corridor they found more remnants of battle, and a shattered, broken barricade. The battle here had been bloody and vicious. Trying to push the sight of that much blood from her mind, Ruby took the lead and ran down the left branch, following the path that Blake would have taken through the school.

As they ran further into the school, they started finding bodies. Only members of the Black Talon at first—the ones that the Huntsmen and Huntresses would leave—but soon they came across a student, their uniform shredded, revealing the grievous wounds underneath. Ruby swallowed back bile and forced herself to look away. She needed to find Blake. The others would pick these people up. She had to focus on finding Blake.

As they ran, Ruby tried to not think about Yang. Yang _should_ have made it here; she hadn't been far away when Blake had called them all. Why hadn't she reported in? Why hadn't she made it? What could have happened that stopped her?

It wasn't until a tear ran down Ruby's cheek that she realised that in consciously trying to avoid thinking about Yang, she'd started thinking about her even more. She dashed the tears away and ran faster.

_Blake_, she told herself. _Focus on Blake. Find Blake._

They entered a large, round room with dozens bodies lying around its edge. Ruby forced herself to look away from them; she didn't want to know who they were. It wasn't until she saw Jaune walking through the room, inspecting each person, that she realised she needed to. They were looking for Blake and Ren, dead or alive. She sucked in a breath and lowered her gaze, taking in the carnage.

The bodies of Huntsmen, Huntresses, students, and Talons lay atop each other; in death, it didn't matter who fought for which side. It was horrific sight, but there was one bright side which—despite the death that surrounded her—made Ruby breathe a sigh of relief: none of the bodies was Blake or Ren. So, grateful to leave such a visage behind, Ruby and Jaune pushed on.

As they ran, a voice caught Ruby's attention. It was quiet—on the very edge of her hearing—but she recognised it quickly.

"Blake!" she cried as she broke into a sprint. Jaune called after her as he tried to keep up, but Ruby paid him no heed as she tore down the corridor.

Ruby ran towards the source of the voice and came to a broken window halfway down a corridor. She stuck her head through the hole and cast her gaze around. Blake's voice was louder, but Ruby couldn't make out what she was saying.

A blur of movement caught Ruby's attention and she focussed her gaze towards her right, near a grove of trees. A flash of yellow caught her gaze then, lying still on the ground. Ruby's breath caught, and her heart sank. She tried to call out, but only made a quiet squeak.

Hands grabbed her from behind and pushed her through the window. Her instincts kicked in, and Ruby flipped over. She landed on her feet and spun towards the window, one hand on Crescent Rose. She relaxed when Jaune landed next to her and broke into a run.

She ran after him, quickly catching up, then overtaking him. She called out as she approached and a head rose, looking their way—Blake. Even from there, Ruby could see the relief on Blake's face. The faunus looked back down, and Ruby forced herself into another burst of speed.

She fell to her knees next to the still body of her sister. Yang didn't move, didn't react. Ruby leant over her, hands hovering inches away from Yang, unsure what to do.

"Yang…?" she whispered, her heart in her throat.

Yang didn't respond. Only the slight raising and lowering of her chest—so slight that Ruby almost missed it—as she breathed told Ruby that her sister was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed Yang's hand. The relief quickly faded to concern as she realised Yang still wasn't reacting.

She looked up, towards Blake. "Blake…" Her words trailed off as she saw Jaune kneel down to help Blake, as she saw what Blake had been doing.

Nora was lying on the ground, battered and bloody. And next to her was Ren, lying a pool of blood. Blake had both hands pressing his shirt against a wound in his side. Blood was leaking out between her fingers, and Ren's normally green shirt was now a murky brown.

Jaune pushed Blake gently to the side, keeping pressure on the wound. Blake sat back and wiped sweat off her face, leaving a smear of blood on her forehead.

Ruby hurried to her side and, using the sleeve of her jacket, wiped the blood off Blake's face. The faunus gave her a weary smile and rested her head against Ruby's arm as Ruby gave her a hug.

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

Jaune peeled Ren's shirt away from the wound and gasped at the sight underneath. Blood dripped onto the ground and Jaune quickly pressed the torn rag of a shirt back against Ren's side.

"How is he still alive?" Jaune hissed.

Blake took a breath and—unbelievably—chuckled. "It was Raud…" she said. Ruby and Jaune gaped at her. "Turns out Kelly's working for Myrka, as was Raud. She made us think he was dead, and then he attacked Nora and Yang. Ren and I spotted them from inside and came to help."

Jaune turned back to Ren. His brow furrowed as he glared down at the blood seeping between his fingers. "Raud, huh…" His voice was filled with venom.

"Ren was already exhausted when we got here, and then pushed Nora away and…" Blake trailed off, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, her face was resigned. "I think both he and Yang have aura shock…"

Ruby gasped and glanced at Yang for a moment before tightening her arms around Blake. She pulled away slightly as Blake chuckled again.

"I think that's what kept him alive," she muttered. "Being in a coma slowed down his heart rate down. The irony…" Blake shook her head.

Jaune looked around them, hands still pressed to Ren's side. "We need to get out of here. Look."

Ruby followed his gaze and saw an airship flying away from the school. They were already evacuating. She looked up at Ozpin's tower and felt a tear run down her cheek. If Myrka was letting them go, then that meant… She shuddered and turned away.

"Right," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

"Blake," Jaune said. "Hold that."

She blinked in surprise when she turned around to see Jaune taking off his shirt. It looked like an awkward process—he hadn't taken his armour off—but soon he was tearing the shirt along the seams, stretching it out. Blake pressed Ren's shirt into the Huntsmen's wound, and Jaune slowly lifted him up, looping the strap of shirt around him. Then Jaune tied the shirt around Ren's middle, tightly binding the bloody rag in place.

"That should hold for a while," Jaune said, getting to his feet. "We'll need to catch up to the others quickly though; he needs to see a doctor as soon as he can. If he makes it that long…" he added under his breath.

"Alright," he continued. "Blake, you take Yang. Ruby, take Nora. I'll carry Ren. Let's hurry."

Ruby and Blake both nodded and hurried to their tasks. Nora moaned as Ruby picked her up, her arms straining. She looked around for Magnhild and saw Jaune slipping the haft of the hammer into the back of his armour, so the of the mighty weapon was visible over his shoulder. Then, with a grunt, he gently lifted Ren in both arms. He led the way as they headed around campus, to the landing pad.

It was slow going. Nora was heavier than she looked, and Yang was probably worse, so Blake and Ruby lagged. But Jaune didn't slow down, so they forced themselves into a jog to keep up. He didn't run—he wouldn't want to jostle Ren—but Jaune was walking almost faster than the girls could jog.

They heard voices inside the school. Through open windows on the higher floors, laughter and cries of victory echoed down to them. Ruby looked over the school and saw a large intercontinental airship leaving. No doubt that was the last of them. All that would be left was the two small ships left for Ruby and Jaune.

"When we get there, put Nora in my ship," Jaune panted. He'd fallen back slightly, until he was walking next to Ruby. "I'll take her and Ren. You two look after Yang. Then just follow the others; they should still in sight."

"But Jaune…" Ruby started.

"Patrol ships only fit three, Ruby. _Someone_ will have to go with two wounded. Besides, they're my team mates. I'll take care of them."

His face was serious; he'd made up his mind, and Ruby couldn't change it. So she nodded, and he sped up again, taking the lead.

"Does he seem… off to you?" Blake asked quietly, eyes on Jaune.

Ruby sucked in a breath and lifted Nora higher, trying to get a better grip. "Yeah," she replied. "He's been off ever since I ran into him at the wall. I think he's worried about Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha? What happened?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't seen her since we left their apartment. Jaune won't tell me anything, and Goodwitch said she hadn't reported in here."

"Hmm…" Blake frowned, but said nothing more.

The shouts inside grew louder as they rounded the corner and spotted the landing pad. Ruby fought the urge to glance inside. There were still bodies of students and Huntsmen inside; she didn't want to see what the Talon were doing with them. So, blinking away tears, Ruby hurried towards the waiting airships.

They reached the pad, and hurried through the now-deserted camp the defenders had slapped together before their flight.

A bullet tore through the air.

Half a second later, Ruby heard the gunshot. Her head whipped towards the school, eyes widening in fear. There was a team of Talon soldiers running out of the school, aiming weapons their way.

"Run!" Jaune yelled.

He broke into a jog, still unwilling to jostle Ren too much. Nevertheless, he still moved about as fast as Ruby and Blake could. They broke apart when they reached the airships: Blake ran to one, Ruby and Jaune to the other.

Jaune sat Ren in the passenger seat of the airship and tightened the straps over the makeshift compress. Once he was sure that Ren wouldn't move, and there was adequate pressure on the wound, he ran around to the pilot's seat. Ruby finished strapping Nora in to the back seat as he started the engine, and jumped away before rushing, amid gunfire, to the other airship.

A bullet hit her in the ankle, and she nearly stumbled. It hurt like hell, and she knew it would bruise, but her aura stopped it from penetrating. So, with a slight limp, Ruby rushed to the airship that Blake was starting up. She saw that Yang was strapped into the passenger seat, so Ruby jumped in the side door to the back seat, strapped herself in, and yelled for Blake to go.

The airship lurched forward as it lifted off the ground before swinging around and facing the open sky. Ruby pulled Crescent Rose off her belt and leaned out the side of the ship. The wind tore at her hair—she tightened her grip on her rifle—but she pressed one eye to the scope and fired at the enemy soldiers who were _still_ firing at them. They scattered for cover. Ruby fired rounds into whatever cover they hid behind, just to keep them there, until they were far enough away that she could barely see them through the scope.

She swung back into the ship, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and stuck Crescent Rose in a weapon rack above her head. She leant back and closed her eyes, trying to not to think. She knew she'd had no choice—the order had been given to her, and she had no choice but to see them through—but the thought of leaving Beacon behind made her sick.

So she looked forward, through the front window of the airship, towards those of the other escapees. Yang's limp form slumped to the side, obscuring Ruby's view. She smiled and leaned forward, taking Yang's hand in her own. She felt a twinge of fear when Yang didn't react, but she squeezed her sister's hand, taking what comfort she could. She rested her head on Yang's shoulder and breathed in her relaxing, reassuring scent as they flew forward to their uncertain future.

* * *

**A/N: Hope this chapter's okay, guys. I'm gonna need maybe another day or two to finish up the next one, but I'm aiming to have it done by the end of the weekend, and I'll post it as soon as its done. :) Unforeseen schedule changes are a bitch, huh?**


	26. Epilogue

Myrka stood atop his tower and looked down upon his kingdom. People roamed the streets once more, with their lives returned to relative normality. The walls were being rebuilt. He had been careful to bring them down only in certain areas, and to minimize the destruction.

He'd received reports that the people were afraid, anxious. He didn't blame them. They _had_ taken the city through force, _and_ threatened to let Grimm loose in the city. Not that he'd have gone that far; he wasn't a monster. But he understood their fear, and knew that it would pass. In time, they would realise that things would be better without the Huntsmen. Without the corruption they brought, the world would become a better place. A safer place.

The computer on the desk behind him beeped, and Myrka turned to face it. Ao's face appeared on the screen, smiling at him. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Morning," he said. "Did you just arrive?"

Ao nodded. "We're just pulling into Beacon now. I shouldn't be long."

"Good. Come up to the tower when you get here. And bring Raud and Kelly with you."

Ao's smile faded slightly. "Have you decided what to do about him?"

Myrka shook his head. "I haven't decided if anything needs to be done yet."

"Myrka…"

"He did enough. We took the city. Killing them would have been a nice bonus, but it wasn't crucial. He distracted them long enough for us to drive them out; I'll consider that a good enough job."

Ao hesitated, then nodded. "It's your call. I'd be wary of trusting him with anything too important though."

Myrka raised an eyebrow. "You think he _let_ them live?"

"He's always had a sentimental streak."

"He's a mercenary. Do you really think he'd let misguided sentiment get in the way of his pay check?"

Ao shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing. But… just be wary. For me?"

He nodded. "Okay. I'll keep an eye on him, just in case."

Ao smiled again and nodded. "I'm heading into the school now. See you in five."

"See you then."

The screen went dark.

Myrka turned back to the window and looked out over the kingdom once more. He pondered Ao's words. She _was_ right: Raud had always been foolishly sentimental at the strangest times. It had caused them trouble before. But would it drive to a blatant betrayal like that? Unlikely. Raud believed in what they fought for, and, on top of that, he was getting paid handsomely. Myrka was sure that he was still loyal. Nevertheless, he would keep an eye on him. Any potential threat was worth considering.

The door clicked behind him, and he turned as Ao, Raud, and Kelly walked in. There were two guards at the door who glanced in after them, expressions of fear on their faces. Myrka smiled at that. He knew that the soldiers regarded each of the four of them with fear; the thought of all four in the same room must be terrifying.

They sat in chairs across the desk from Myrka, and he sat in his own—the chair that was once Ozpin's. Ao sat in the middle, Kelly on the left, and Raud on the right. Ao liked to keep those two separated whenever possible. And after seeing the venomous look Kelly shot Raud as they waited for Myrka to speak, he was glad that she did.

"So…" he began. "How is the kingdom?"

Kelly spoke up first, as she always did. "The people are afraid, but its fading. As days go by, and no Grimm comes within the walls, they're beginning to slip back into their old lives. They've begun to realise that we're not going to change how they live, and they're glad for that."

Myrka nodded. "Good. We want everything to be running smoothly again as soon as possible." He turned his gaze on Raud, who was staring blankly at the window. "Raud."

The mercenary blinked. "The walls are going up well. We've patched two of the holes, and are getting close to finishing the others. Give me another week, and the walls will be back to full strength."

"Excellent," Myrka said with a smile. "Then everything is well in hand here. Ao?"

Ao gave him a small smile. "Vacuo is ours. Has been for weeks. They will get no refuge from them. Mistral is… less certain. We have enough influence to get them to send out troops, who can drive them away. But if they get into contact with the Council, they may find a safe haven. And Atlas _should_ refuse them. I'm not as certain as I am about Vacuo, but I am assured that things in Atlas are well in hand."

"That will do for now then," Myrka replied. "You'd best try and increase our influence there, though. We can't have them hiding in one of the kingdoms. We don't want them getting help to retake Vale."

Ao nodded. "Of course. I'll head back out to Mistral in a few days."

"Alright then. Sounds like everything is well in hand. Let's keep it that way. Kelly—" She perked up as he said her name. "—I want to you to do whatever you have to make the populace happy with our presence. Contentment is good, but I want them to think we're better rulers than the council, and better protection than the Huntsmen."

She nodded with a wide smile. "Of course. I'll do whatever it takes."

Raud sniggered and looked away from them, to the far wall of the office. Myrka sighed as Kelly rounded on him, her smile replaced by an expression of fury.

"Something funny?" she hissed.

Raud shot her a look, sniggered again, and shrugged. "I just find it funny that, of the four of us, _you're_ the 'people person'."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" she asked, her voice dripping with venom.

Raud shrugged again. "Just that I can't think of anyone _less_ pleasant—"

"Raud! Enough!" Myrka cut in, frowning at the mercenary. If he let them go on like that, they'd be tearing at each other's throats within minutes.

Raud slunk back into his chair, lips moving silently in some annoyed curse. Myrka let it go. Kelly grinned triumphantly, sitting tall and proud in her chair.

"And you too, Kelly," Myrka added, wiping the smile from her smile. "I can't have you two at each other's throats like this all the time. I know you don't like each other, but you will at least be civil with one another. We're fighting for the same goal here."

Kelly slunk back into her chair now, looking miserable. "Yes, sir," she murmured.

Myrka nodded and sat back in his chair. He met Ao's and fought the urge to smile as he saw the laughter in her eyes. She kept a lid on it—thankfully—but it still made his lips twitch as they tried to break into a smile.

He inspected his team. Raud, Kelly, and—of course—Ao. They were his closest allies in this task. Some of them didn't get along, and they all had their own dark, sordid pasts. None of them were the most kind-hearted people he'd ever met, but they were all determined, and loyal. And that counted for far more.

The sounds of the city reached his ears and he let out a small smile. They'd taken Vale. They'd taken the first step. In time, the people would come to see that life under their rule was far better, and then they could take the next step.

There was a map of Remnant on one of the walls of the office, and Myrka found himself looking over it longingly. He eyed the spots on the map that marked the kingdoms and felt his smile widen.

_One down; three to go._

* * *

Two weeks after the attack on Beacon, Ruby stood at the top of the hill that rose over their camp, looking down at all that had become of them. The parked airships had become shelters. People wandered back and forth, doing whatever jobs had been assigned to them. There was movement at the edge of a forest in the distance: Huntsmen hunting for food.

Beacon's Huntsmen and Huntresses, once the proud defenders of Vale, were reduced to living out of their airships and hunting for whatever food they could find.

Below her, Beacon's doctor was walking from airship to airship checking on his patients. Most of them had recovered well—though they weren't ready to help the camp yet—but there were a few who still needed care. Yang had woken up a couple of days ago, and was still too weak to even get out of bed. Ren still hadn't woken up. None of them were sure if he ever would. The doctor had managed—by some miracle—to keep him alive, but couldn't guarantee anything beyond that.

With a sigh, Ruby turned away from the camp and looked around her. She was on duty, on the lookout for any approaching Grimm.

There weren't any monsters as far as she could see, but there was a group of elderly women approaching, holding wicker baskets. They smiled up at Ruby as they approached, holding up the baskets as if to show her why they were there. Ruby smiled in return and nodded for them to head down into the camp.

Looking beyond the women, she saw Algard village at the bottom of the hill. Anticipating a follow-up attack from Myrka, Goodwitch had wanted to get as far away from Vale as they could. Knowing they he would have spies in other kingdoms, she'd wanted someplace to go where they could recover. The Western Dragon had been an obvious choice.

The villagers of Algard had welcomed them with open arms. They'd given condolences for their losses, but had nevertheless seemed excited at the prospect of living with trained Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Odin and his teams had come to visit Ruby many times since their arrival, wanting her to go on hunts with them. She had been reluctant at first, but, at Blake's urging, she eventually gave in. They were going on another hunt later in the afternoon, after her shift was over.

As if on cue, they four of them left the gate of the village and started up the hill. Ruby shook her head as she watched them; they were an eager bunch.

She did enjoy going on hunts though. It gave her a few hours to forget about… everything. She was beginning to work well with the four of them—even Lopt—and relished the chance to push herself.

But, standing over the camp as she was now, she couldn't help but think of it as a waste of time. Goodwitch had told them all that plans were being drawn up for a counterattack, and that they were _going_ to retake Beacon, but it wouldn't be for a long time. There were too many injured, and they'd need all the able-bodied soldiers they could get.

So their plan of attack, for the moment at least, was to do nothing. To wait. To recover. And that pained Ruby to no end. She needed to get out… to do something. _Anything._

Thankfully, her shift was nearly over. She glanced towards the camp and saw Blake climbing the hill towards her. She took a moment to wave a hand at Odin, telling him to wait, and hurried to meet her sister-in-law.

"How is she?" she asked.

Blake shrugged, her expression weary. "No change. She's awake, but can barely move. Barely talks, barely eats. I'm worried about her…"

Ruby gave her a reassuring smile. "Come on, Blake. She's Yang; she'll be fine. Nothing ever gets her down for long."

Blake nodded and gave her a weak smile in return. "Yeah…"

"Should I go visit her?"

Blake shook her head with an amused smile. "She's asleep now. You can go out with your friends."

Ruby glanced behind her. Fenrir and Silas were standing at the top of the hill waving down at her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking back at Blake.

The Faunus nodded. "It's fine. We can always use more food anyway."

Ruby nodded and flashed Blake a grin. "See you tonight!"

She turned and ran up the hill, though her thoughts weren't on the coming hunt. Myrka would pay for what he'd done. Ruby was determined to make sure of it. They were going to take Vale back, and he would pay.

* * *

Jaune sat in the dark, in the hold of one of the airships. Ren was lying unconscious on a bed next to him and, across the room, Nora was sleeping peacefully. The Huntress had healed quickly—her aura had always excelled at patching up her wounds—but was still exhausted from the strain on her body. She'd been adamant in her assertion that she was fine, but had passed out within seconds when Jaune had ordered her to rest.

Jaune was holding the pommel of his sword with three fingers, the tip of the blade pointing into the floor. Slowly, he spun it back and forth. Steel grated against steel as the sharpened tip of the blade dug into floor.

There was very little light in the room—only a small window above let in a beam of afternoon sunlight. Jaune stared at his sword as he spun it, the blade catching that beam of light every half-turn.

He stopped spinning the sword and looked up at Ren. The Huntsman hadn't moved in two weeks. An IV was hanging from the wall above him, giving fluids and nutrients to keep him alive. It was a miserable sight.

Jaune couldn't help but resent Ren for it.

He hated himself for thinking that way, but did nothing to stop it. There wasn't anything he could do to stop it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but hate Ren—just a little—for being alive.

He knew he should be grateful that his best friend had made it, and he _was_. He was glad that Ren had survived; he knew that he'd need Ren by his side in the months to come. But part of him couldn't help but feel _betrayed_ by Ren's survival.

"Ren…" Jaune muttered under his breath, knowing that no one would hear. He paused, listening for any nearby footsteps, then opened his mouth to speak. He hesitated. Saying it out loud would be admitting that it was real. So he closed his mouth again.

He spun his sword, gazing into the orange light that bounced off it.

The sword stopped as Jaune shuddered, fighting back tears.

Everyone had asked him. They'd been asking him ever since the attack, and he'd been doing all he could to avoid the question.

_Jaune…_ Ruby's voice rang in his head, filled with concern. _Where's Pyrrha?_

He shuddered again, then shook his head. No. He couldn't say it. Couldn't even think it. Not to Ruby. Not to Ren. Not even to himself.

He spun his sword again. The sunlight was beginning to darken to a deep orange, and it cast his face in an amber glow whenever it bounced off the glistening steel.

He saw a flash of red in the blade, and stopped the spinning. But it was gone. It had been there for but a moment: a burst of crimson, like rose petals, like the sky just after the sun sank under the horizon… like her hair.

He spun the sword. It wavered as his fingers trembled. Gritting his teeth, Jaune gripped the hilt of his sword and held it aloft, the tip pointing towards the roof. He raised it high and squeezed as hard as he could until his hand started to ache.

Then, letting out a loud gasp, he slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees. The beam of light glinted off the sharpened edge of his sword and bounced into his eye. He squinted and leaned his head to the side, avoiding it. He looked down at the blade, the razor sharp edge, and saw how close it was. He flexed his hand as he imagined leaning down, swishing the blade up… Two swift movements and all his pain would be over. He leant forward and tightened his grip on the sword.

He froze, his hand trembling.

_I love you, Jaune!_

His fingers went limp and the sword clattered to the floor. Tears ran down his face as he hunched over and wrapped his arms around himself. He fought back a sob, but couldn't stop a whimper, and was about to fall forward onto the floor when he heard a rustle.

His head whipped up and he looked towards the source of the noise—towards Nora. The Huntress—barely visible in the gloom—was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"Hm… Jaune?" she asked in her still-half-asleep voice. "What's wrong?"

_What isn't?_

"Nothing, Nora," he replied, keeping his voice steady. "Go back to sleep."

She looked around and frowned. "Where's Pyrrha?"

Every muscle in his body tensed, and Jaune gritted his teeth together against the wave of anguish that washed over him.

"Jaune?" she asked again, concern in her voice, as he took too long to answer.

"I don't know, Nora," he said. "She didn't tell me. I'm sure she's fine. Go back to sleep."

She nodded and laid back down. Within seconds, her breathing had levelled out, and she was asleep once more.

Jaune picked up his sword, stuck the tip against the floor and spun it. The light of the setting sun, now a deep red, reflected onto his face. Jaune focussed on the red, but it only brought it pain. He could _smell_ her hair, and he could taste her lips. But they weren't there.

So instead, he focussed on the blade. The blade painted red. He imagined that the red was the fresh blood of the bastard who'd attacked Vale. He tried, with all his might, to get angry, vengeful—anything to stop the pain.

But it all slipped away a moment later, leaving him with the pain again. The weight of it all crashed over him. At that moment, Jaune would've given anything to stop feeling—to stop caring. But he couldn't.

_Gods, _he thought to himself. He'd never been one to pray before, but if there was ever a time when he felt the need, this was it. _What do I do? _

_I love you, Jaune!_

He flinched as her voice rang in his head again.

_WHAT DO I DO!?_ he screamed in his head.

The answer was a whisper. A whisper in her voice. Ever so quiet. So quiet he barely noticed it.

He gripped his sword once more and raised it aloft. He tightened his grip and rose from his chair as the voice spoke again:

_Fight._

* * *

**A/N: And thus this part of the story ends. And, yes, that also means that there will be another. No word as yet on when that will come out; I'm planning on taking a break for a while and then doing that one a little differently. But, yes, there will be one, final part of this story. I hope you've all enjoyed your time with this one, and I hope you'll stick with me for the last one.**


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